Gnatho--Remastered
by MissLindaLee
Summary: A super-powered villain escapes en route to Metropolis at the same time that Chloe, Lois, Perry, and Jimmy pay a visit to the Kent Farm. Linda reveals a couple of new powers-one of which Clark also seems to possess. (Third story in the remastered Angelica Corsusca series)
1. Chapter 1

Jonathan whistled an unrecognizable tune as he tinkered with the tractor inside the barn. It was a lovely July morning, and he had just finished the morning chores. They would have been finished earlier, but Linda was still sleeping. She had spent the previous day shopping for clothes, putting in new fence posts, bagging feed, and even helping Martha in the orchard and flower garden. When Jonathan had checked on her earlier that morning, she was sleeping so soundly that the farmer didn't have the heart to wake her.

He had just finished tightening a few bolts when he heard footsteps approaching. He poked his head out and saw Linda walking over. She wore a light blue button down blouse—tailor cut style, slightly glossy—with khaki slacks and black lace-up dress cowgirl boots on her feet; her hair was pulled back with a black headband. She smiled down at him as she stood near the tractor, pushing her glasses back up her nose as they slipped a little.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Jonathan smiled.

"Good morning," Linda replied. "Why didn't you wake me up this morning?"

"Because you had such a busy day yesterday that you deserved a rest," Jonathan replied. He went back to work under the tractor; after a few moments he growled, frustrated. "Honey, could you, uh?" He made a lifting motion with his hands.

"Sure," Linda replied. She reached over and grabbed the end of the tractor, lifting it as easily as a normal person would lift a box of Kleenex. "How's this?"

"Perfect." Jonathan quickly tightened the necessary bolts and scooted out from under the tractor. "Okay, you can set it down now." Linda put the tractor down as Jonathan got up and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Linda." He grabbed the dishrag from the toolbox and started wiping the grease from his hands. "So, you look like you're ready to go." He noticed her anxious expression. "You okay?"

"I'm a little nervous," Linda admitted, "but excited at the same time." She looked confused. "Is that weird?"

"No, it's not weird at all," Jonathan replied. "It's perfectly normal." He wanted to put an arm around her, but he was filthy, and he didn't want to dirty her up; he settled for taking her hand and squeezing it.

"Jonathan!" Martha called from the farmhouse. "We have to leave in fifteen minutes!" The farmer and the young girl walked hand in hand out of the barn and headed towards the house.

* * *

"And this is where the Torch is run," the assistant principal, Maria Jefferson, said as she walked into the Torch offices; the Kents followed. "Our school newspaper—completely run by the students." She smiled at the young girl. "I know that with your cousin being a reporter, this might be of interest to you."

Linda looked around the room, at the computers and filing cabinets; everything looked in disarray. She raised an eyebrow, not feeling as enthusiastic as she knew she should have been. "Uh," she said slowly, trying not to sound ungrateful, "can I think about it?"

"Sure," Jefferson replied, "and if this doesn't interest you, there are plenty of extracurricular activities here at Smallville High." The four left and walked down the corridor to another set of double doors. They walked into a large room furnished with large tables containing paints and brushes, clays; metal shelves were pushed against the walls, holding jars of paints, chalks, and other art equipment. Colorful paintings hung from the walls, and sculptures were sitting in front of the windows. "This is our art room." She looked down at the young girl and saw her awed expression. "Miss Kent?"

Linda shook her head slowly. "It's so colorful," she whispered in awe as she looked around. She took in the colors, the smells…it was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. After a few moments, she looked over at Jefferson.

"Are there any classes that use this stuff?" she asked.

"We do have art classes," Jefferson answered as she looked at the clipboard in her hand; it held a tentative schedule for Linda's upcoming year: Linda would be starting Smallville High as a sophomore. Jefferson nodded and looked up, smiling. "We can put you in Beginner's Art for the year. Is that okay with you and your parents?"

"Mom?" Linda asked as she looked at her adoptive parents. "Dad?"

"If that's what Linda wants," Martha replied, smiling at the young girl. Linda grinned back.

Jefferson jotted something on her clipboard. "Okay, well, that's during third period." She read the schedule. "Well, it looks like you have one spot open, Linda; seventh period." She tapped her pen. "Do you plan on trying out for any sports?"

"No," Jonathan replied quickly. Jefferson gave him an odd look. "We…want Linda to get used to being in public school before she considers trying out for any sports." Part of Linda's back story included her being homeschooled before moving to Smallville, complete (thanks to Chloe) with manufactured 'school records.'

"Okay," Jefferson replied as she jotted down some notes on the schedule. "Okay, that gives Linda Biology, Math, Art, Gym, History, and English." She smiled. "I think that's it. I'm going to go run this to the administration; I'll be right back." The Kents watched Jefferson leave, then they glanced at Linda; she appeared uneasy as she stared at the paintings.

"Linda, are you okay?" Jonathan asked.

"What if I'm not good enough?" Linda whispered. "What if they hate me?"

Martha and Jonathan walked over. "Linda," Martha replied, "they're not going to hate you."

"How you do know that?" Linda asked. She looked at the sculptures and the intricate details that each one had. "I'll never be that good." She sighed and started to lower her head, but she saw the shocked expressions on her parents' faces as they stared at something behind her. "What's wrong?" She turned around, and her eyes grew wide when she saw the sculptures levitating in midair behind her. "Oh…that…." The statues suddenly dropped, but Linda quickly sped around and caught each statue before it crashed to the flood. She sighed, relieved, just as Jefferson came back into the room.

"Well, everything's in order," Jefferson replied pleasantly as she walked over to the trip. "Give us a few days, and we'll have Linda in the system."

"That's fine," Jonathan replied, smiling pleasantly. "Mrs. Jefferson, thank you for everything, but we need to get going." He put his hand on Linda's back and guided her out of the room, with his wife beside him. Jefferson watched with curiosity as the three Kents left the art room at a quickened pace. They didn't say anything as they headed out of the school and to their truck.

"What was that?" Martha asked after they had all piled in.

"I have no idea," Jonathan replied.

"I think I can explain," Linda said softly.

"What do mean?" Jonathan asked.

"I'm telekinetic," Linda replied softly. She felt a little self-conscious as Jonathan and Martha stared at her, not saying anything.

"Say that again?" Jonathan spoke up after a few seconds.

"I'm telekinetic," Linda repeated. "I was the one that caused the statues to float around."

"But…how?" Martha asked, confused. "Clark never displayed that ability."

"Only female Kryptonians have that ability," Linda explained.

"Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?" Jonathan asked, trying not to get upset.

"Honestly, I'd forgotten about it until now," Linda replied honestly. "I never used it on Argo City; Rok-Var tried to train me secretly, but he couldn't without attracting attention, so I learned to suppress it." She looked apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Martha said as she put an arm around the teenager.

"Do you know what triggers it?" Jonathan asked as he started the engine and put the truck in drive, heading out of the parking lot.

"No," Linda replied honestly. "I just know that Rok-Var said if it gets triggered, it will happen more and more until I get it under control." She looked upset. "I guess this means I can't go to school now, huh?"

"No, but you need to get it under control before school starts," Jonathan said. "You don't want things suddenly floating around," he suddenly remembered something and sighed, "and hopefully before tonight."

"Jimmy's party," Martha said, knowing what her husband was talking about.

"That's tonight?" Linda asked, slightly alarmed.

"Maybe we should reschedule," Martha said to her husband.

"No," Linda said, "please don't." She had been looking forward to seeing people other than her immediate family and Pete. "I'll learn to control it, I promise. I'll start when we get home. Honest."

Jonathan glanced over at Linda; she stared up at him, her blue eyes pleading. He wanted to say no, to protect her, but he knew she was feeling confined enough already. He sighed, smiling a little. "Alright," he replied, "we won't cancel the party…as long as you practice, okay?"

Linda grinned and leaned over, kissing his cheek. "Thanks, Daddy," she said.

Jonathan's smile increased as he continued driving. "You're welcome, sweetie," he replied.

"And I'll even work on getting our telepathy under control, too," Linda added cheerfully.

The truck suddenly screeched to a halt as Jonathan slammed on the breaks.

(End of Chapter 1)

* * *

End Note - The addition of the powers is a combination of different incarnations: The telepathy is inspired by "Lois and Clark," where Clark learned that Khryptonians are telepathic. The telekinesis is from the Matrix incarnation of Supergirl from the comics.


	2. Chapter 2

Superman descended and landed next to a police caddy near the main landing strip at Metropolis International Airport. He nodded politely to the officers waiting before walking over to Inspector Henderson, one of Metropolis' finest, and the current head of the S.C.U.

"Glad you could make it," Henderson replied with a slight annoyance in his tone, but Superman knew it wasn't personal; it was just part of the inspector's personality.

"What's the plane's location?" Superman asked.

"It's approaching the Kansas airspace right now," Henderson answered. "Should be here within the hour."

"Are you sure you don't want me up there?" Superman asked. "Considering who it is, it might be best that I stay close by."

"With all due respect, Superman," Henderson answered, "the S.C.U. is more than capable of transporting one prisoner—even if it's this prisoner. The only reason you're here is to escort our guest to the holding cell waiting for him at Striker's." He eyed the superhero and sighed, leaning over and lowering his voice. "Look, Superman, the Commissioner's been riding my ass, trying to improve the S.C.U.'s image…if it was up to me, I'd have you right up there with them, but Corporon wants to show that the city can transport one prisoner without your help," he glanced skyward, "especially this one."

* * *

The interior of the cargo plane was silent, save for the loud humming from the engines outside. Three armed guards sat in front of a metal coffin-like container with a single glass window near the top. Anyone looking inside would see a tall, muscular man with purple skin, no hair and hard features; his eyes were closed, as if he was sleeping.

In the cockpit, the pilot glanced at the control panel and saw the bright colors appearing on the radar; he turned to the co-pilot. "Get buckled in, Rusty," he said. "We got ourselves a choppy ride ahead." He glanced back into the cargo area. "Hey, fellas, make sure the cargo's secured! Things are about to get a little bumpy!" The guards buckled their seat belts just as the turbulence hit.

The plane rocked violently, and the guards were glad for the restraints holding the container in place. They stretched as tight as they would go, not giving until the plane hit a violent updraft. The restraints snapped, sending the container tumbling from one side of the plane to the other, smashing into the wall and breaking open.

The turbulence stopped suddenly, allowing the guards the opportunity to scramble from their seats and—weapons in hand—hurry over to the container. They leaned over, their guns shaking slightly, when the prisoner's eyes suddenly opened. He shot up like a cannon and slammed into the guards, bowling them down like pins. The guards tumbled away as the prisoner quickly stood up and climbed out.

Before the guards could react, the prisoner crossed the plane and grabbed the arms of the nearest guard, picking him up. A crackle of energy surged around the prisoner's hands, and the guard screamed in pain, his eyes rolling back; he shook violently, almost as if he was having a seizure; after a few seconds, the guard suddenly went limp.

The prisoner's eyes glowed a bright yellow as he felt the rush of energy flow through him, as if he had been recharged. He glanced over to see the second guard aim his gun, but the prisoner tossed the unconscious guard and threw him at the guard; the gun went off, firing a bullet into the side of the plane. The air immediately started depressurizing, and the plane started shaking as it descended at an incredible speed.

Inside the cockpit, the pilot and co-pilot struggled with the controls and the dials on the gauges spun like hyperactive clocks out of control; the pilot reached for the radio.

"Mayday, mayday!" he shouted. "This is Flight 276; we are two-hundred miles outside Smallville, requesting an emergency landing!" He briefly glanced over his shoulder and saw the prisoner wrestle with and drain the remaining guards' energies. "We have rapid depressurization and are quickly losing altitude! Prisoner is loose! I repeat Rudy Jones is loose!" He glanced back just as Rudy Jones grabbed his arm with one hand and the co-pilot's arm with his other hand. There was a crackle of energy, the pilot and co-pilot screamed; they slumped into their seats, unconscious.

Jones looked out the front window and saw the plane descending rapidly through the clouds. He narrowed his eyes before hurrying back to the cargo area, searching the cabinets until he found a parachute. He quickly strapped it on and hurried over to the side door; he pushed the door open and jumped out.

* * *

"Unit 54, this is dispatch, please respond. Over."

Henderson reached in through the open window of his car and grabbed the mic from the console. "This is Unit 54," he answered, "go ahead."

"Sir, we just received a distress call from Flight 276," dispatch replied. "Pilot reported the prisoner escaped from captivity and the plane is experiencing major malfunction."

"Where is the plane now?" Henderson said, glancing over at Superman as the hero walked toward him.

"Radar has the plane twenty miles outside Smallville and descending rapidly."

"Copy that, dispatch," Henderson replied. "Over and out." He quickly put his mic back and looked back at Superman. "Looks like you're up."

"I'm on it," Superman replied.

"And watch your back," Henderson added. "You know what he's capable of."

"I always do," Superman said before leaping into the air and heading west.

* * *

"Okay, just focus, honey," Jonathan said gently as he stood behind Linda in the barn, his hands resting on her shoulders. After calming down from Linda's revelation, the Kents came home to figure out their move. After much discussion, Jonathan and Martha finally decided that the best way to approach the situation was the same way they had always dealt with Clark's emerging powers: wing it. While Martha stayed inside to begin preparations for the party that night, Jonathan and Linda ventured to the barn to begin practicing.

Linda stared intently at a bale of hay floating about three feet off the ground in front of them, her brows furrowed as she focused her thoughts, picturing an invisible hand moving the bale toward them. Without warning, the bale suddenly shot forward like a missile. Linda's eyes widened as she blurred in front of Jonathan, shielding him as the bale hit her back, then dropped to the ground; she glanced up at Jonathan. As strands of hay settled, she glanced up apologetically.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "You?"

Linda sighed. "I guess," she said as she glanced at the mangled bale near her feet. "I'm never going to get this under control."

"Linda, it's okay," Jonathan said. "It can be hard to control your powers; Clark had trouble with his all the time." He chuckled. "You should have seen him when he was learning to control his heat vision."

"Why did he have trouble controlling his heat vision?" Linda asked.

Jonathan froze, remembering the reason behind Clark's heat vision problems. He looked down at the young girl staring up at him with her big blue—and very innocent—eyes, and he just couldn't bring himself to talk about *that* subject with her.

"Uh," he replied slowly, his cheeks growing warm, "he just had problems focusing." He quickly cleared his throat. "Okay, um, let's get back to **your** powers; you need to just focus, honey." He stood behind her and put his hands back on her shoulders. "Now, concentrate, but don't strain yourself. Just relax and let it come naturally." He squeezed her shoulders gently and smiled warmly. "You can do this, Linda."

Linda sighed and stared at the bale of hay, concentrating as she furrowed her eyebrows. She formed an image of what she wanted to happen in her mind, and the bale rose slowly into the air, floating high above her and Jonathan. The teenager smiled as the bale gently levitated over to the hayloft—then promptly crashed into the other bales. Hay flew everywhere, falling down like snow. Linda slowly glanced over her father, wincing; she saw his lips curled into a slight smile as he tried not to laugh.

"Okay, maybe that's enough practice for now," he replied. He reached over and brushed some hay from Linda's hair; he put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's get this cleaned up, okay?" He and Linda headed to the storage cabinet, where they retrieved a couple of rakes and began cleaning up the fallen hay. They worked quietly for almost a minute before they heard a large roaring sound approaching; loose objects began shaking violently, some tumbling to the ground.

"What on Earth?" Jonathan asked as he hurried out the barn; Linda followed close behind. They looked up, Jonathan shielding his eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun.

A large cargo plane streaked across the sky and suddenly banked sharply to the right, but then they spotted a red and blue object under the belly, and they knew exactly who it was. The aircraft suddenly shifted, but they watched as Superman grip the plane tighter as it disappeared from sight over a grove of trees.

"Linda, I want you to go inside and stay with your mother," Jonathan said as he headed quickly down the gravel path to the truck.

"Where are you going?" Linda asked, trotting to keep up with him.

"Jonathan, what happened?" Martha said as she hurried out of the house and over to them.

"Our son is trying to prevent a plane crash," Jonathan replied. "I'll go make sure everything's okay."

"Maybe I should go instead," Linda suggested slowly. She glanced between her parents as they stared at her. "I could help…you know, because of my abilities."

"No, I want you to stay here with your mother," Jonathan answered.

"What if people are hurt?" Linda pressed hopefully.

"And if that's the case, then Clark will help them out," Jonathan replied.

"What if he can't do it all himself?" Linda asked.

Jonathan could see the corners of her mouth twitch a little, and he sighed, giving her a look. "Your attempted guilt trip is not going to work, young lady," he said, trying not to smile too much.

"Jonathan, maybe we should let Linda go," Martha spoke up gently.

"Martha, I don't think it's a good idea," Jonathan said as he walked. "What if someone sees her?"

"And how many times did we let Clark do the very same thing when he was her age?" Martha pointed out gently.

"Eight hundred and twenty one," Jonathan replied, "because that's how many gray hairs I currently have." He saw the gentle look on his wife's face, and he sighed reluctantly before turning to Linda. "Okay, you can go," he held up a hand as she grinned, "but I want you to be careful, and don't let anyone see you."

"I won't," Linda said, trying not to look too excited.

"And listen to Clark," Jonathan added.

"I will," Linda replied, trying not to appear too impatient; she glanced over in the direction the plane had headed. "Can I go now?"

"Sure," Jonathan said, smiling. Linda grinned before she blurred off, disappearing from sight in less than a second. Jonathan's smile slowly faded as he turned to Martha. "Why do I feel like I just made a big mistake?"

"Because you don't want anything to happen to her either," Martha said as she put her arm around his waist, "but if you don't allow her to start walking now, she's never going to learn to fly later."

"And who says I want her to fly?" Jonathan said, smiling a little. Martha smiled back as he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

(End of Chapter 2)


	3. Chapter 3

Rudy Jones hurried inside the abandoned Creekside Foundry; he stopped and pressed himself against a nearby wall, breathing heavily, listening for anything that sounded out of the ordinary. Ten minutes of waiting convinced him he had nothing to worry about, so he cautiously explored the new surroundings. Nothing of real interest—old machinery, steel girders, pipes; Rudy quickly grew bored. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned to see a pile of green glowing rocks.

"What the hell?" Rudy muttered as he walked over to them. He knew exactly what they were, anyone who had Superman as an enemy was familiar with kryptonite, but Jones had never personally seen it—and he certainly wasn't exactly to see such a big crop of kryptonite in one area. Curious, he walked over and picked up one of the rocks. There was a crackle of energy, and the rock started glowing bright green.

Rudy closed his eyes as his body convulsed slightly, the energy surging up his arm and through the rest of his body. In all the times he had stolen the energy from others—even Superman—he had never experienced the rush he was currently feeling. After a few moments, the surge stopped. Rudy breathed deeply as he opened his eyes, feeling more energized than he had in a long time; he looked down as he opened his palm; the rock had been completely drained of both energy and color. Slowly smiling, Rudy tossed the clear rock away and reached for another green one.

* * *

Superman gently set the plane on the ground, taking care not to jostle it too much, before hurrying over to the side. He jumped inside and looked around. The guards lay unconscious on the floor of the plane, and the empty container holding Jones, but no sign of the container. A quick scan of the plane with his X-ray vision revealed the unconscious pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit, but no one else.

"Is everyone okay?"

Superman froze, recognizing the voice. He slowly turned around to see Linda peering in through the cargo door. He raised his eyebrows as he walked over. "What are you doing here?" he asked in that slightly freaked out tone. "Do Mom and Dad know you're here?"

"As a matter of fact, they do," Linda replied, looking slightly smug.

Superman looked like he wanted to protest, but he simply sighed. "Fine, okay," he said, "but lose the attitude, or you can go straight home."

"Okay," Linda replied, hiding her smile under a serious expression before she glanced at the unconscious guards. "So, is everyone okay?"

"Yes," Superman replied. "Thankfully, they're only unconscious; they should recover just fine."

"What happened?" Linda asked. "I didn't see any visible damage to the plane," she glanced at the guards, "and they don't appear to be injured."

"They were transporting a prisoner to Metropolis," Clark replied. "His name is Rudy Jones, and he's not your typical prisoner."

"Considering who we are," Linda said, folding her arms, "when you say 'not typical' I'm assuming some kind of enhanced abilities, right?"

"Yeah," Superman replied, "one—and a very dangerous one. He can drain someone of their life energy." Linda cocked her head to the side, and Superman could tell she was lost in thought, then her eyes widened in realization.

"You mean like the Bloodmorel," she said. Superman furrowed his eyebrows, and Linda remembered he didn't have the working knowledge of their home planet like she did, and she became a little excited; it was rare that she knew something her cousin didn't. "It was a parasitic fungus on Krypton. If its spores touched you, they'd get under your skin and into your bloodstream and feed off of it, leading to ninety-two percent of infected people dying." She smiled proudly up at her cousin. "Is it kind of like that?"

Superman just stared at her, eyebrow raised. "Uh…kind of," he said slowly. He wasn't sure what was weirder: Krypton having a deadly fungus that ate blood…or Linda talking about it cheerfully. "I mean, Jones isn't a fungus and doesn't eat blood, but if he touches someone he can absorb their energies. In our case, he can absorb our abilities, too."

"So, don't let him touch you," Linda said. "Gotcha." She looked around. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, there's really not much to do," Superman replied. "No one has any life-threatening injuries, and there aren't any fires to put out." Linda's eyes clouded slightly, and Superman could tell she was disappointed; he cocked his head to one side briefly, listening. "And since the guards will be out for a few hours and the emergency vehicles will take a few minutes to get here, why don't you tell me how your visit to Smallville High went?"

"Well, I got signed up for my classes," Linda replied. "Biology, Math, Art, Gym, History, and English."

"Art?" Superman asked, surprised as he crossed his arms. "I didn't know you were interested in art."

"I didn't think so either," Linda replied, "but when I saw all those colors and paints and stuff," she shrugged, "it was like I couldn't think about doing anything else. Does that sound stupid?"

"No," Superman smiled. "If it's something you enjoy, that's all that matters."

Linda smiled, then her eyes widened a bit. "I almost forgot," she said, "something happened at school that," she looked a little sheepish, "that you might find a little interesting."

"Oh?" Superman raised an eyebrow.

"I got a new ability," Linda said slowly.

Superman smiled. "Oh, that's…," he trailed off as he suddenly remembered which power was next in line; he squirmed a little, trying not to imagine **how** it could have emerged. "That's…great." He cleared his throat. "You didn't burn anything down, did you?"

"No, but some statues almost broke," Linda replied, confused. Her eyes widened when she realized what her cousin was talking about, and she chuckled. "Oh, Clark, no, it wasn't heat vision."

"Oh, thank goodness," Superman muttered, then he furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait, you don't have heat vision?" Linda shook her head. "Then which ability came in?"

"Telekinesis," Linda replied.

Superman stared at her. "Excuse me?" he said after a few seconds.

"It's a female Kryptonian ability," Linda explained, "and no one saw anything, except Mom and Dad. And Dad's been trying to help me control it, but all I seem capable of doing right now is creating hay blizzards."

Superman was a little shocked by the revelation, and he definitely had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but he knew he needed to be supportive right now. He smiled a little as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, if Dad's helping you, I'm sure you'll be mastering it in no time."

Linda looked grateful, then she squirmed slightly. "There's more," she said slowly.

"Like what?" Superman asked cautiously.

[How do you feel about telepathy?]

Superman's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He had clearly heard Linda's voice, but her lips hadn't moved—even in the slightest.

Linda looked a little concerned. "Sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean to freak you out."

"No, it's…it's okay," Superman said quickly. "I'm not freaked out…," he saw the unconvinced expression on Linda's face, "okay, maybe just a little, but…how come I never knew about it before now?"

"Because you have to be trained in it," Linda replied. "It's not that hard, really. You just have to let yourself focus—"

"Hold on," Superman interrupted gently, holding up his hand as he tilted his head, listening. "Emergency vehicles are almost here; you better get going."

"You're not mad, are you?" Linda asked cautiously.

Superman shook his head, smiling a little. "No, I'm not," he said. "Look, we'll get this all figured out, okay?"

Linda nodded, smiling back. "Are you going to be home soon?" she asked.

"I'll be there in plenty of time for Jimmy's party, don't worry," Superman answered. "Now, get going." Linda smiled and nodded before blurring out of the plane, leaving Superman alone with his thoughts as the sound of emergency sirens grew louder.

(End of Chapter 3)


	4. Chapter 4

Rudy picked up the last two green rocks and clutched them tightly in his hands. After a few seconds of absorbing their energy, he felt the raw, powerful energy flowing from the rocks suddenly changed to a wave of searing heat; the pain was intense, and his screams echoed loudly in the abandoned metal building.

Rudy dropped the rocks, and they clattered to the floor, smoking, all the color drained from them. He stared at his palms as they shook; they were scorched, as if they had been burned from a fire. The fugitive barely had time to register that fact as his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

Perry White grabbed his jacket and shrugged into it when his phone rang. He crossed his office and picked it up. "Perry White," he answered.

"Chief, it's me."

Perry furrowed his eyebrows. "Kent?" he asked, recognizing the voice. "Where are you? We're heading out."

"Already on my way to Smallville, sir."

"So, looking to start in on your mother's cooking without us?" Perry asked wryly, a smile playing on his lips.

"Close. I heard over the police scanner that Rudy Jones escaped while en route to Metropolis, so I thought I'd get a jump start on the investigation."

"Great," Perry muttered before sighing. "So, I guess we're cancelling the party, huh?"

"Well, Superman's already looking for him, so I think we'll be okay."

"If you say so," Perry said. "I guess we'll see you at your parents' place, then."

"Okay."

Perry hung up and grabbed his things before heading out of his office. "Lane!" he shouted as he walked through the bullpen, "Sullivan, Olsen! Let's go!" He watched the trio from the corner of his eyes as he headed to the elevators, and he hid a smile as he saw them scramble to grab their things. He made it to the elevators and pushed the down button, waiting, listening to the voices behind him. The elevator doors opened, and he had just stepped in when Chloe, Lois, and Jimmy came running towards him, almost tripping over each other as they squeezed into the elevator just as the doors closed. The trip leaned against the walls, trying to catch their breaths.

"Cutting it close, don't you think?" Perry asked, smirking as he reached over and pressed the button for the parking garage.

"Where's Clark?" Chloe asked.

"Already in Smallville," Perry replied.

"I thought we were all going together," Chloe said.

"Rudy Jones escaped from his police escort," Perry explained, "so Clark's heading out to investigate."

"So glad he gave us a heads up," Lois muttered, looking upset, but everyone knew it was just a front for how much she was worried about Clark.

"So, I guess that means no party, huh?" Jimmy asked, looking a little upset.

"Actually, party's still on," Perry answered. "Clark said he'll meet us at his parents' place."

"Which means we finally get to meet the mysterious cousin," Lois said with a smile as she glanced at Chloe, "although if someone would stop being so tight-lipped…."

"Hey, I already said all I could," Chloe replied, shrugging and smiling.

"Her name, height, and birthday," Lois retorted. "Information that can be found on a driver's license doesn't count."

"Well, you'll get your chance tonight, Lo," Chloe replied, "but I wouldn't play investigative reporter. Linda's a little shy, and she's still getting adjusted to…well, everything."

"I'm not looking for a story, Chlo," Lois said, almost insulted. "I'm just curious, that's all." She decided to change the subject before she got huffy; she turned to Jimmy. "Hey, Lucy texted me a few minutes ago: she said she's really sorry she couldn't make it."

Jimmy suddenly shifted as he quickly readjusted the shoulder strap of his beat-up camera bag before stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It's okay," he said, shrugging.

Perry raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the young photographer. "Jimmy, I know it's rough not having your mother and girlfriend at your party," he said gently.

"Well, Mom had to work," Jimmy replied, "and it's not like you can help getting a stomach bug, huh?" He forced a brief smile before he looked down at his feet.

"If you want to cancel," Chloe said gently, "I can call the Kents and let them know."

"No," Jimmy said, shaking his head as he looked up. "It'll be nice to get out of the city for a while." He shrugged. "Besides, I've been looking forward to a home-cooked meal." The elevator stopped on their level, and they exited, heading to Perry's parked car.

* * *

Three hours later Superman quickly scanned the farm before landing in the front yard. He quickly changed into his civilian clothes before heading up the porch steps; he glanced into the distant field and saw both his father and Linda with the herd; even though it was muddy, they both appeared to be having a good time. The young man smiled as he watched them for a few moments before heading into the house.

"Hey, Mom," he said as he saw his mother working in the kitchen. He breathed in the wonderful aromas that hit his nose and grinned as he walked over to the island and sat on one of the stools. "Oh, man, remind me to thank Jimmy for liking ribs and wings," he sniffed again and grinned some more, "and peach cobbler."

Martha smiled as looked over as she pulled a casserole dish with a loaf of golden brown cornbread and set it on top of the stove; she turned the oven off. "Hi, honey," she said as she busied herself with various tasks in finalizing dinner. "How's the search going?"

"So, Linda filled you in, huh?" Clark said.

"Every detail," Martha answered as she wiped her hands on a towel and walked over.

Clark shrugged. "Well, I found Jones's parachute in the woods south of town," he replied. "I looked around, but there's no sign of him."

"And the crew?"

"I stopped by the hospital to check on them before coming here," Clark answered. "They awoke about half an hour ago, and they're expected to make full recoveries."

"Well, that's good," Martha replied as she pulled out a stack of plates. "So, how did Linda handle herself out there?"

"No offense or anything," Clark said gently, "but I'm a little surprised you and Dad let her go."

"Your father was a little more reluctant," Martha said as she walked over to her son and put the stack on the island, "but I figured with all the times we let you run off to help others," she shrugged, "it was only fair to give Linda the same chance. Of course, if we'd known Rudy Jones was involved, we'd never have let her go."

"Well, there really wasn't much to do," Clark said honestly. "No fires, no injuries to tend to…we actually spent the time talking about her classes," he gave his mother a sideways glance, "and her new—"

"Hello?"

Martha and Clark looked over and saw Perry peering in the half-opened kitchen door; he smiled cheerfully, holding a brightly-colored wrapped gift. Chloe, Lois, and Jimmy stood behind him, smiling; Chloe and Lois also had gifts tucked under their arms.

"Hi, everyone," Martha replied, smiling, as she walked over to greet the guests. "Come on in." She held the door open, letting them inside.

"Whoa, Mrs. Kent," Lois replied, sniffing the air, "that smells wonderful."

Jimmy looked a little surprised as he recognized all the different aromas. "You really made the ribs and wings?" he asked.

"Well, that's what you asked for," Martha replied, smiling at everyone, then she glanced behind them. "Where's Lucy?"

"She got a little stomach bug," Lois said.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Martha replied, glancing sympathetically at Jimmy. She noticed a miserable expression briefly cross his eyes before they brightened up again, but she didn't say anything as she smiled again. "Well, everything'll be ready in about thirty minutes, but you can all get seated at the table now if you want."

"Where are Mr. Kent and Linda?" Chloe asked as she, Perry, and Lois deposited their gifts on the counter and joined Jimmy at the kitchen table.

"Well, that's what you asked for," Martha replied. She noticed a miserable expression briefly cross his eyes before they brightened up again, but she didn't say anything as she smiled at everyone. "Now, everything will be ready in about thirty minutes, but you can all get seated at the table now if you want."

"Where are Mr. Kent and Linda?" Chloe asked as she, Perry, and Lois deposited their gifts on the counter and joined Jimmy at the kitchen table.

"I saw them out with the cows," Clark answered as he grabbed the plates to start setting the table. "It looks like they're finishing up."

* * *

"Come on, ladies," Linda said, trudging through the muck mud in her work clothes and a pair of muck boots. She followed the small herd of cows, waving her hands in order to steer them toward the metal pen. "We just put fresh feed and hay in the troughs." A few of the cows bellowed in annoyance, but Linda wouldn't be deterred. "'Mooo' yourself, Elsa. Now, go!" She smacked the rump of the cow, and the cow trotted faster. "Good girl."

Jonathan watched with a smile on his face as he watched the young girl work. He was relieved to see she was no longer afraid of the herd after Uncle Jesse had been sold, but what amused the farmer was how she treated the cows, as well as the rest of the farm animals: she had no problem talking to them, but they seemed to respond to her as well. Jonathan wouldn't have thought much about before today, but he wondered if that was connected to her telepathy; he made a small mental note to ask her about that later. Suddenly, a young heifer named Elizabeth broke from the herd and trotted back toward the backfield.

"Can I get her?" Linda asked as she turned to Jonathan.

"Sure," Jonathan answered.

Linda grinned as she blurred away. Twenty feet into her sprint, she hit a slippery spot and fell, landing face down, sliding for twenty feet before coming to a stop. Jonathan hurried over as she slowly stood up and turned around. Jonathan stopped short when he saw her entire front—face, clothes, feet—covered in thick mud; her blonde hair was blotted with numerous dark brown spots, making her hair look dull and matted.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Jonathan asked.

Linda removed her mud-covered glasses, her eyes the only clear areas on her. "I'm fine," she replied, slightly annoyed, as she wiped mud from her cheeks.

Jonathan couldn't help but grin. "Why don't you get the rest of the herd in the pen?" he suggested. "I'll get Elizabeth."

"Okay," Linda replied as she carefully walked back to the rest of the herd. Jonathan watched her for a few moments, chuckling softly and shaking his head, before he went to recover the wayward heifer.

* * *

"So, what's it like to suddenly have a new member of the family around?" Lois asked before taking a sip of her tea. "I'm sure having another teenager must be really hectic."

"Well, it was for a while," Martha replied as she worked in the kitchen, "but thankfully things have calmed down a bit." Everyone looked over as the kitchen door opened and Jonathan and Linda came walking in. Linda still had a lot of mud covering her front, but her glasses and face were cleared off—mostly.

"What it really necessary?" Jonathan asked, his once-clean shirt covered in a few large splotches of mud; speck dotted his arms and face.

"You're just mad because I'm a good shot," Linda retorted, grinning.

Both father and daughter were oblivious to the six pairs of eyes looking at them: Lois just stared, an eyebrow raised; Clark, Chloe, and Perry appeared slightly amused; and Jimmy's expression was a mixture awe and hilarity.

"What happened?" Martha asked, stopping and staring, completely mortified. Jonathan and Linda looked over, noticing their audience for the first time.

"Hi, honey," Jonathan replied cheerfully.

"Don't 'honey' me, mister," Martha said as she walked over. "What happened?"

"Well," Linda said, smiling, "we were putting the cows up for the night, and Elizabeth bolted from the herd, so I ran off to get her. I tripped and fell into some mud."

"And then Linda decided to throw some at me when I returned with Elizabeth," Jonathan added.

"You were laughing at me," Linda retorted, still smiling.

"Only because you looked adorable," Jonathan replied, tweaking her nose a little.

Martha sighed, trying not to look too upset. "Okay, you two," she said. "Our guests are here, and dinner should be ready in a few minutes, so why don't you both go get cleaned up?" Jonathan and Linda started for the stairs, but Martha held up her hand. "Hold it. Lose the boots, or you two can spend the evening cleaning the floors.

Jonathan and Linda quickly removed their boots, setting them near outside on the porch before crossing the kitchen and heading up the stairs. Martha sighed and shook her head before continuing her work. "Sorry about that."

"So, that's Linda?" Lois asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Somewhere under that mud, yes," Martha answered wryly.

"Well, you were right, Mom," Clark said, grinning. "Things have sure calmed down around here." Martha shot a look at him, even though she couldn't help but smile herself.

(End of Chapter 4)


	5. Chapter 5

Half an hour later Jonathan came down the stairs, cleaned up and wearing a plain white t-shirt under an open red plaid button-down, his best jeans, and his good boots. He smiled as he walked over to the table, already set with dinnerware and dishes of food.

"Martha, I think you've outdone yourself again," Jonathan said, smiling.

Martha smiled as she came over with a bowl of freshly seasoned green beans. "Where's Linda?"

"She should be down soon," Jonathan replied as he held Martha's chair while she sat down; he took his place at the head of the table, and everyone waited patiently. After a few moments, Jonathan sighed.

"Linda!" he shouted up the stairs.

"I'm here!" Linda called out as she hurried down the stairs. She wore a simple white shirt under a pair of faded overalls that stopped halfway down her thighs, and a pair of simple white flats. Her hair was pulled away from her face and held into place with the two butterfly clips Chloe had gotten her recently. All traces of mud She quickly made her way to her place at the table and sat down, pushing her glasses up her nose as they slipped a little. "Sorry." She smiled at Chloe. "Hi, Chloe."

"Hey, Linda," Chloe replied, smiling back. "How's it going?"

"Very well, thanks," Linda answered.

"Linda," Clark spoke up, "I want you to meet some friends of mine." He nodded to Perry, who sat on his right. "This is my boss, Perry White," he nodded to the woman on his right, "this is Lois Lane, and the person sitting next to you is Jimmy Olsen."

"Hello," Linda said, smiling politely at Perry and Lois, then glanced at Jimmy. He just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. "Hi."

"Hi," Jimmy said slowly. "I'm Jimmy Olsen."

Linda nodded, smiling. "Clark already said that," she pointed out.

"He did?" Jimmy asked. Linda nodded. "Oh." He felt his cheeks grow warm, and he quickly focused his attention on the food at the table. "Mrs. Kent, this all looks delicious.

"Yes it does," Jonathan said, "so let's eat," Jonathan spoke up. Everyone started passing their plates around, getting what they wanted; soon, they were all eating and conversing. "So, Jimmy, excited to be a senior?" He glanced over and saw Jimmy staring at Linda, his elbows propped on the table, absentmindedly chewing slowly on a half-eaten buffalo wing. "Jimmy?"

Jimmy snapped out of his little daze and turned to Jonathan. "Uh, yes, sir" he replied. "Really looking forward to it." He saw Jonathan giving him a slightly odd expression, and the teenager glanced down, suddenly finding his plate more interesting.

"So, what classes are you taking?" Martha asked.

"Nothing exciting, Mrs. Kent," Jimmy replied. "Algebra, Physics, Yearbook, AP English, Gym, and Geology."

"I thought you were a photographer," Linda said, a little confused.

"Just part-time," Jimmy answered, looking a little embarrassed; he suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait, how did you know I was a photographer?"

"Clark told me," Linda said. "He said you were really good."

"Really?" Jimmy asked, surprised, glancing at Clark. He almost smiled, but then he shrugged and stirred some of his food with his fork. "I'm not **that** great."

"Oh, don't sell yourself short, Olsen," Perry said. "You got one of the best eyes I've seen in the business—and you're not even legal yet." Jimmy felt his cheeks grow really warm, and he ducked his head as he moved his food around more.

"What about you, Linda?" Chloe asked. "Clark said you were supposed to register for classes today. What are you going to be taking?"

"Biology, Math, Art, Gym, History, and English," Linda answered before spearing a green bean and nibbling on it. "I honestly can't wait for school to start."

"You **want** to go to school?" Lois asked, smiling. "Okay, what planet are you from?"

Linda's fork clattered loudly as she suddenly fumbled and dropped it. "Uh…what do you mean?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from rising in panic, as she her glanced over at Clark.

"Because most teenagers don't look forward to starting school," Lois replied, watching the young girl with curiosity.

"Well, Linda was homeschooled all her life," Clark spoke up. "This will be her first year going to school with kids her own age."

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Perry said, "what is the story with Linda? Clark didn't tell us much about her."

Jonathan glanced between Martha and Clark before taking a deep breath; it was time to see Linda's cover story would work. "Well, we never talk about this," he said, "but I used to have a brother named Harry."

"'Used to'?" Lois asked, curiously.

"We didn't get along well," Jonathan explained, "and he left the farm in 1980, right after he turned eighteen. We didn't hear from him again until he called us in 1998: he was living in Midvale, Illinois, and he'd gotten married to a woman named Silvia, and they had recently a daughter, Linda."

"Harry asked us not to mention anything," Martha continued. "Linda had poor health, so she wasn't able to participate in a lot of things other kids could; she was homeschooled by a private tutor."

"So, why is she living here?" Jimmy asked. "I mean, wouldn't this be the last place she should be, you know, with all the chores and excitement that goes on around here?"

"Everyone thought so," Jonathan answered, "but Harry and Silvia were both killed in a car accident over a month ago. The police contacted us and asked if Linda could live with us, since we were the only family she had left, otherwise she'd have to stay in an orphanage."

"We said yes immediately," Martha replied, smiling at her adopted daughter.

"And Linda's actually adjusted pretty well," Clark added. "Her health's improved considerably with the fresh air and activities, so we figured she could start going to public school and be with people her own age."

"That's pretty amazing," Lois replied. "I mean, sucks about her parents and all, but it's pretty amazing what you guys did. Not too many people would do that for someone they don't know that well."

"Well, Linda's family," Clark said, smiling at his cousin before giving her a small wink. She returned the smile before they all went back to eating and talking.

(End of Chapter 5)


	6. Chapter 6

"So, here we are," Linda said as she and Jimmy walked inside the dimly lit barn. After having dessert—homemade peach cobbler and buttered pecan ice cream—and opening his presents, Jimmy had gotten permission to take some pictures of the barn, so he and Linda had headed out while the adults stayed inside to enjoy some coffee.

Jimmy stopped just inside and looked around slowly; in the entire time he'd know the Kents he had never been inside the barn before, so he was a little in awe by the rustic interior. He immediately shifted into photographer mode and fiddled with the overhead lights for a few minutes before he was satisfied, then he began shooting the tools and equipment at different angles. Linda sat on the stairs, watching Jimmy, fascinated.

"So, what made you decide to be a photographer?" she asked, her chin propped on her hands, her elbows resting on her knees.

Jimmy froze, keeping his eye on the viewfinder and his finger on the shutter button. After a few moments, he slowly lowered the camera, looking at Linda. She stared at him, her eyes clear and wide, her gaze penetrating without being threatening.

"Huh," he said softly.

"What?" Linda asked, then suddenly looked apologetic. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Jimmy quickly reassured her. "It's just, uh…I've been doing this for years, and no one's ever really asked me that." He pursed his lips, thinking, then drew in his breath and held it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out. "I guess I've just always liked the way the camera shows things as they really are, you know what I mean?"

"Not really," Linda replied honestly, intrigued.

"Well," Jimmy said, "for whatever reason, most people put on a mask and try to hide their true self from the world. A photographer uses their camera to filter through that mask and see people and things for who and what they really are."

Jimmy knew what he had said sounded stupid, but when he glanced down at her, she wasn't laughing; her smile was sincere. His breath caught briefly as his mind snapped a portrait of her, delighted in the way the evening shadows played on her face and hair, captivated by the light in her eyes—a light that had nothing to do with any of the barn's fixtures.

A few seconds past before he realized he was just standing there, staring at her. He felt his cheeks grow warm, and he quickly cleared his throat before resuming taking pictures, moving around to get the best angles. After a few moments, he lowered his camera and glanced at Linda.

"Hey, would you mind if I took a couple pictures of you?" he asked.

"Why?" Linda asked, cautious and curious at the same time.

"Because I have two frames left on this roll of film," Jimmy answered, "and I've taken all the pictures I can stand of tools and equipment." He raised an eyebrow and smiled in a nonthreatening manner. "Please?"

Linda hesitated, but after a few seconds she smiled. "Sure," she said.

Jimmy's smile widened. "Great," he replied before he raised his camera. He centered her in the viewfinder as she smiled at him; he took a deep breath and quickly snapped off a couple of shots of her. "There." He lowered his camera and turned it off before slinging the strap on his shoulder. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Linda said. "Hey, you wanna see my loft? Well, Dad built it for Clark when Clark was younger, but Clark let me have it when I moved here."

"Sure," Jimmy replied.

Linda grinned as she stood up and headed up the stairs; Jimmy followed. They stopped at the top, and Jimmy looked around. He quickly figured that most of the furniture—the couch, desk, hammock, and bookcases—were from Clark's childhood, but there were little things that Jimmy knew belonged to Linda: a custom made purple, soft silver, and white quilt hanging neatly over the back of the couch; a few strings of soft white lights draped over the bookcases, and five vases filled with different kinds of fake flowers—none of which Jimmy recognized. Linda walked over to the open loft window and turned around, holding out her hands.

"So, this is the loft," she said. "What do you think?"

Jimmy nodded as he pursed his lips. "Nice," he said, impressed, as he slowly crossed the room, glancing around. He reached Linda and glanced up out the window; his jaw almost dropped when he saw the clear sky dotted with thousands of stars. "Wow."

"I know, it's pretty, huh?" Linda asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Jimmy answered before chuckling. "The only stars you can see in Metropolis are usually wining and dining at LeMarvin Bistro." He glanced at her as she leaned against the rail, staring up at the sky; he gently removed his camera from his shoulder and put it on the couch before joining her. Together, they just stared up, not speaking for almost a minute before Jimmy broke the silence with a small chuckle. "'Through crimson stars, and silent stars and tumbling nebulas like oceans set on fire.'"

"Pretty words," Linda looked over, smiling.

"Wish I could say they were mine," Jimmy said, looking a little embarrassed.

"So, who's are they?" Linda asked, curiously.

"The Doctor's," Jimmy replied. Linda stared at him, eyebrow raised. "You know, Doctor Who." Linda shook her head. "It's a television show."

"Oh, my parents never let me watch television," Linda said simply.

"Jeeze, did your parents let you do anything?" Jimmy asked harshly. Linda took a step back, startled by his outburst. Jimmy noticed and sighed, his expression and tone changing. "Sorry, I just…it just sounds like the only thing your parents let you do was schoolwork."

"Essentially, that was it," Linda replied, shrugging. "Anything they considered…unnecessary wasn't allowed—which pretty much meant everything besides my schooling."

"So, no television, internet, music?" Jimmy asked. Linda shook her head. "And by they way you reacted earlier, I'm guessing that was the first time you had any kind of dessert?"

"Actually, I have had some of Mom's pies," Linda answered, "but that was my first time tasting ice cream."

"Well, no offense to your dead parents," Jimmy said, trying to keep his tone calm and collected, "but I think their parenting skills really sucked."

"They did," Linda said sincerely before she realized it. She froze, then slowly glanced over and saw Jimmy's startled expression. She heard a little voice in her head telling her to stop talking, and she was tempted to listen to it, but she didn't want to; she felt comfortable around Jimmy, like she could be **somewhat** honest with him.

"Jimmy," she explained, "my parents and I weren't really that close; they saw me as a burden because I wasn't what they'd expected, so, I wasn't really sad when they were killed. And when I moved here…" her eyes blurred, and she blinked back the tears before they could fall, "Clark and his family have treated me better in the past month than my own parents have my entire life." A rogue tear managed to fall down her cheek, and she wiped it away, embarrassed. "How pathetic is that?"

"It's not pathetic at all," Jimmy said sincerely. "You can't help that your parents were jackasses, and believe me, I know what a parental jackass looks like." Linda looked at him questioningly, and Jimmy was tempted to change the subject, but he felt compelled to continue. "Grew up with both my parents, thought everything was great, then one day when I was eight, my dad left for his job—he fixed pianos—and he never came back." He shrugged. "For whatever reason, he decided my mom and I weren't worth it anymore."

"I'm sorry," Linda said sincerely.

Jimmy shrugged. "I'm fine," he said, giving her a mirthless smile. "I've had nine years to get used to it." He tilted her head when he saw Linda's expression hadn't changed. "Hey, really, I'm okay." He held out his arms, smiling sincerely. "See? Me, okay."

"It's not that," Linda said. "It's **your** birthday—a day that's supposed to be a good day—and, among other things, I got us talking about a really depressing subject…one I wasn't even supposed to talk about anyway."

"Why don't Clark and his parents want you talking about your family?" Jimmy asked, confused.

"Because they don't think I have to tell the whole world every little single detail about my former life," Linda explained. "They knew it was rough for me, so they want me to focus on my life here instead of dwelling on the past."

Jimmy nodded, understanding. "That actually makes sense," he said.

Linda gave him a pleading look. "Please don't tell them I told you."

Jimmy gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry," he said, trying to come up with something witty. "I'm pretty good at keeping secrets. Jimmy Olsen, Secret Keeper…keeping secrets." _You idiot, that was so lame. _The young photographer stuffed his hands in his pockets, feeling embarrassed, then he remembered something. "Hey, what did you mean earlier when you said 'among other things'?"

Linda looked confused, then her eyes widened as she recalled her earlier statement. "Oh, that," she suddenly looked embarrassed, "um…it's really stupid, actually; you're just gonna laugh."

"I will not," Jimmy said. "I promise, no laughing," he looked a little playful, "unless you tell a funny joke, then all bets are off." Linda gave him an oddly-amused smile. "Come on."

Linda hesitated, but she sighed. "Okay," she said. "Well, earlier, when you were opening your presents, I actually felt bad that I hadn't gotten you anything."

"You and your folks got me that awesome jacket," Jimmy said.

"**Mom and Dad** got you the jacket," Linda corrected. "They just added my name to the tag."

"That's no big deal," Jimmy reassured her.

"To me it is," Linda replied. "Mom and Dad got you that jacket, Clark got you a new camera bag, Lois and Chloe got you a pool cue—whatever that is—Mr. White got you a laptop," she shrugged, "and I got you nothing." She glanced up and saw him smiling, even as he tried to stop, and she looked a little affronted. "See? You think it's stupid!"

"No, really, I don't," Jimmy reassured her, still smiling. "I think it's sweet—honest."

"Yeah, right," Linda said, unconvinced as she folded her arms, adverting her gaze as cheeks turned bright red.

Jimmy sighed, his grin fading. He didn't think she'd be so embarrassed, and he suddenly felt bad, so he racked his brain, trying to find some way to fix it. He glanced around the loft and his eyes fell on a laptop on the desk, and he slowly grinned; he had the perfect solution. "Dance with me."

"What?" Linda asked, not sure if she'd heard him correctly.

"Dance with me," Jimmy repeated.

"I…don't…what?" Linda asked, totally confused.

"Look," Jimmy replied, "you want to give me a present, I want a dance." He shrugged. "I'd say it's a win-win for both of us."

"But…I don't know how to dance," Linda protested as he walked over to the laptop and opened it.

"Yeah, I figured," Jimmy replied, "but you're in luck, because I do." He typed a few keys and moved the cursor. "I learned when I was younger. Hey, you got iTunes?"

"Yeah," Linda said, trying not to panic. "Clark set me up with an account. Why?"

"Great," Jimmy said, finding the icon and opening the program "Means I don't have to worry about Internet problems." He started scrolling through her music library. "Wow, you have a lot of songs."

"I like music," Linda said slowly as she contemplated bolting for the stairs. "Look, Jimmy, I don't think this is a good idea. What if I step on your feet?" The image of accidentally breaking his bones-especially on his birthday-was not something she wanted to think about.

"You're not going to hurt me," Jimmy said simply. He highlighted the song he wanted to hear, and pressed the play button; the loft filled with sounds of a mixture of soft drumbeats and synthesizers in a slow rhythm. He walked back over to her and gently took her hand, leading her to the clear area behind the couch.

"Now," Jimmy said, his voice low, "we're gonna stand this far apart," he took a small step back, putting about six inches between them, "and my right hand will go here." He carefully put his right arm around her, cupping his palm at her shoulder; he felt her stiffen a little, but he continued. "Your left hand will go on my shoulder," he saw Linda hesitate briefly before resting her hand on his right shoulder, "there you go. Now, put your free hand in mine." He waited until she took his hand before he gently wrapped his fingers around hers. "Now, we'll just to something simple: step to the right, bring your feet together, then step to the left, bring your feet together, okay?"

"I'm not sure about this," Linda said, looking nervous.

"You'll do just fine," Jimmy replied, smiling a little. "Just keep your eyes on me." Holding onto Linda securely, he stepped off with his right foot, gently pulling Linda with him as she stepped to off with her left; they brought their feet together, then stepped back to the left before repeating the motions as the words emanated through the loft.

_Downy feathers kiss your face and flutter everywhere  
__Reality is a lovely place, but I wouldn't want to live there  
__I wouldn't wanna live there_

"Don't look now," Jimmy said, still smiling as the two continued moving in time with the music, "but you're dancing." Linda smiled and relaxed under his touch, and Jimmy felt his confidence growing. He quickened their pace a little, and he was a little surprised at how easily she kept up with him.

_From the green belt balcony, the wildfires look so pretty  
__Ponderosa canopy, I'd never leave if it were up to me  
__To the ruby redwood tree, and to the velvet climbing ivy:  
__Painted all mahogany, I'd never leave if it were up to me_

As the music continued, Jimmy led Linda across the floor, expertly avoiding the furniture, even as their eyes remained fixed on each other and the world seemed to disappear around them.

_Can you feel a silk embrace in the satin air?  
__If we dissolve without a trace, will the real world even care?_

As they twirled gently, Linda couldn't feel the wooden floor under her, and she considered looking down to see if her feet were touching the floor, but she found herself unable to tear her gaze from his.

_I saw the autumn leaves peel up off the street,  
__Take wing on the balmy breeze and sweep you off your feet_

As the music faded, Jimmy and Linda stopped dancing, but they remained where they stood, now only a few inches apart, their feet rooted firmly in place; they stared at each other, mesmerized, their hearts pounding.

"Thanks for the dance," Jimmy said softly after a few moments.

"You're welcome," Linda replied, her voice low. They continued staring at each other for a couple more seconds, then Jimmy suddenly took a deep breath.

"Oh, what the hell," he said before he quickly leaned over and gently pressed his lips to hers.

A small muffled squeak escaped Linda's lips, and she almost pulled away, but her heart fluttered in her chest as a warm feeling started in the pit of her stomach, spreading to her arms and legs; her knees grew weak, and she felt light-headed. It was an unknown sensation, and it scared her a little…but she didn't want it to stop.

Jimmy felt Linda relax under his touch as he deepened the kiss, cupping her face in his hands. The young man felt his heart pounding in his chest as the world around him started fading away.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

(End of Chapter 6)


	7. Chapter 7

If the situation hadn't been serious, Martha would have been a little amused by how quickly the teenagers pulled when she spoke. She had entered the barn just as the music finished—and had picked up the sound of muffled voices—but she didn't think anything of it as she climbed the stairs, stopping at the top when she saw the teenagers kissing.

"Uh, Mrs. Kent," Jimmy replied nervously, his brown eyes widening a little, his face beet red. "Uh…I-I-I'm sure you're wondering what we were doing."

"Oh, it wasn't that difficult to figure out, Jimmy," Martha replied, her expression and tone neutral as her gaze drifted to her daughter. Linda appeared to be slightly embarrassed at being caught, but Martha also saw a hint of disappointment in the young girl's eyes as her she briefly looked at Jimmy.

"Jimmy," Martha said, her tone even. The young photographer slowly looked up at Martha, bracing himself. "Lois, Chloe, and Perry are ready to go back to Metropolis."

Jimmy looked a little relieved, then he nodded; he glanced over at Linda and hesitated before smiling at her. "Bye, Linda," he said.

"Bye, Jimmy," Linda replied, smiling back.

Jimmy's smile faded a little as he looked back at Martha. He took a deep breath and nodded, politely. "Bye, Mrs. Kent," he said. "Thanks for everything." He grabbed his camera from the couch before hurrying down the stairs. Martha watched her daughter as Jimmy left, recognizing the lovestruck expression in Linda's eyes as she just stared at the stairs.

"Anything you care to tell me?" Martha asked.

"Like what?" Linda asked, still staring at the stairs, a slight smile on her face.

Martha had a few questions of her own, but she decided against asking them at the moment; there were other things to be concerned with—such as how to discuss the matter with both Jonathan and Clark, knowing how they were most likely to react. Martha mused briefly that Jimmy was lucky **she** had come to fetch him instead of Clark—or worse, Jonathan.

Linda slowly looked at Martha, and her smile faded when she saw her adoptive mother's expression. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Martha replied, smiling a little. "Come on, let's get back to the house, okay? It's late." She held out her arm, and Linda walked over. Martha put her arm around her daughter, and the two headed down the stairs and out of the barn. They walked back to the house and saw Perry, Chloe, Lois, and Jimmy talking with Jonathan and Clark near the picket fence. Linda and Martha joined the group, and everyone said their goodbyes (Martha couldn't help but notice the furtive smile Jimmy and Linda shared) before Perry, Chloe, Lois, and Jimmy piled into Perry's car; within a few seconds, the car had driven off the property and headed west.

"Well, I'd say everything went well," Clark said as the four of them headed toward the house. "So, what did you think, Linda?"

"Fine," Linda replied distractedly, smiling.

"So, what did Jimmy think of the barn?" Jonathan asked. "Did he get any good shots?"

"Uh huh," Linda answered automatically.

Clark finally noticed Linda's odd behavior as they entered the house; he raised an eyebrow. "Linda, you okay?"

"Yeah, Clark," Linda said, "I'm great." She sighed with content, still smiling, as she grabbed a fork and started in on the leftover cobbler. Both Jonathan and Clark furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.

"Martha?" Jonathan looked questioningly at his wife, hoping she would be able to offer an explanation for their daughter's odd behavior. Martha opened her mouth to talk, but Linda suddenly turned to her family.

"Jimmy is a really nice guy," she mumbled around a mouthful of cobbler, smiling; she paused to swallow before continuing. "We talked about why he likes photography, and then he took my picture, and—"

"He took your picture?" Clark asked slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Linda nodded, taking another large bite. "Yeah," she mumbled, "he said he wanted to finish up the roll of film in his camera," she swallowed quickly, "and then I showed him the loft, and he told me about a television show he likes—Doctor Who, I think—and he taught me how to dance," she paused, grinning, "and then we kissed…." She trailed off as she took another bite of cobbler.

"What?" Clark asked in shock, his eyes widening.

"Excuse me?" Jonathan asked, tilting his head, his features darkening slightly.

"You know, for my first party on Earth," Linda said suddenly as she put her fork down, "I think it went rather well." Oblivious to the expressions of both men, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss their cheeks, then she hugged Martha. "Goodnight!" She bounded up the stairs, still grinning.

Jonathan opened his mouth to call her back down, but Martha put a hand on his arm. "Jonathan, wait," she said calmly. They heard the sound of Linda's bedroom door opening and closing.

"Martha, please tell me I heard Linda incorrectly," Jonathan said, his tone low and irritated.

"I wish I could," Martha replied, "but I saw them with my own eyes." She glanced between her husband and son, noticing their expressions. "And before you two start making plans on how to dispose of Jimmy's body, we need to figure out how we're going to deal with this."

"Easy," Jonathan answered. "Jimmy and I can have a nice long talk—with my shotgun." Clark snorted, amused, but Martha looked less than pleased.

"I'm serious, Jonathan," she said.

"So am I," Jonathan retorted, unwavering. Martha folded her arms, raising an eyebrow, and Jonathan sighed. "Martha, Jimmy is seeing Lois's sister, something I'm pretty sure he failed to mention while they were talking. How do you think Linda's going to feel when she finds out about that?"

"I know exactly how she's going to feel, Jonathan," Martha replied. "The look in her eyes as she watched Jimmy leave tonight...she's going to be devastated."

"Are we talking in the range of 'heat vision' type of look?" Clark asked cautiously. Martha nodded, and Clark suddenly squirmed uncomfortably. "Oh…." He glanced over at his parents. "So, do I need to go talk to her?"

"I appreciate that, sweetie," Martha said, smiling a little, "but I think I should do it this time; it might hurt less coming from me. Why don't you go talk to Jimmy instead?"

"Why?" Clark asked, confused.

"Because I think it would be best to know **why** he decided to kiss her in the first place," Martha answered. "He's a good kid, and I know there must be **some** reason he did this."

"And you think he'll talk to me?" Clark asked.

"I think you'll stand a better chance at getting an honest answer than your father," Martha replied, smiling a little as she briefly glanced at her husband.

Jonathan looked a little affronted, but he knew it was pointless to argue. "So, when are you going to talk to Linda?" he asked.

"Tomorrow," Martha answered. "She deserves to have good dreams tonight," she glanced between Jonathan and Clark, "but, with what's happened, we need to decide if we're going to discuss…other subjects...with Linda." She looked a little amused as they both squirmed uncomfortably.

"Oh, darn, look at the time," Clark replied quickly. "I should go look Rudy Jones. I'll see you later." He blurred out of the kitchen door; a second later, Jonathan and Martha heard a familiar whooshing sound.

"Do, uh, do you think we're ready for that with her, Martha?" Jonathan asked, his tone gentler.

"Ready or not, Jonathan," Martha answered, "Linda's a teenage girl who was raised in a very isolated and abusive environment all her life. She's been here barely a month, still getting used to having a new life on a new planet with a new family, and she just experienced her first kiss at her first party. She's on an emotional high, with no idea how to properly deal with the feelings she's experiencing, and if we don't help her…."

Jonathan sighed, as he slowly smiled and kissed her forehead. "Okay, okay," he said before they started cleaning the kitchen. As they worked in silence, the farmer's thoughts kept drifting back to what had happened earlier that evening, and he realized that one event had just shifted their lives in a completely new direction…and Jonathan wasn't sure if he was ready for that just yet.

(End of Chapter 7)


	8. Chapter 8

Rudy Jones slowly opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness. _I'm blind_, he thought, his heart pounding in his chest. He turned his head, seeing dim light filtering in the foundry, and he realized night had fallen. He breathed a sigh of relief before slowly getting to his feet, feeling…different, energized. He glanced down at his hands, noticing the burn marks on his palm; they stung a bit, but they were no where near as painful as they had been right before he blacked out. He gingerly flexed his muscles as he stood tall, feeling like he could handle anything, before taking a deep breath and heading out of the building, cutting through the field as he headed south.

* * *

Superman flew above Smallville, looking for any signs of the escaped criminal, but his thoughts kept drifting back to what his mother had said earlier. He couldn't believe she even suggested talking with Linda about…other subjects. His cousin had barely been on Earth a month; there was no way she could even know what…other subjects were, so there was no need to even bring it up—regardless of how Linda looked at Jimmy.

He flew low over Elbow River and spotted a figure heading south along through the old foundry field. He focused in and saw Rudy Jones running through the grass. The hero quickly descended, landing about thirty feet in front of the fugitive.

"Hide and seek's over, Rudy," Superman said. "I'm taking you to Metropolis."

"Like hell you will," Rudy growled as he charged Superman with his palms out.

Superman wasn't in the mood to play games at that hour of the night; he tensed, ready to leap out of the way, but he suddenly felt sick and weak. His knees shook as pain radiated through his body, and he fell to his hands and knees, groaning. He looked up at Rudy in disbelief and confusion, but the criminal simply smirked.

"What's the matter?" Rudy said as he slowly walked over to the fallen hero. "Feeling a little green around the gills?" He stopped next to Superman and leaned over. "Let me give you a hand." Superman could only protest as Rudy grabbed the sides of his head with his hands.

Both Superman and Rudy shouted in pain as an intense amount of energy crackled around them; sparks flew from Rudy's hand, and both their bodies convulsed. After a few moments, Superman slumped to the ground, unconscious. Rudy stared down in amazement, breathing hard as he stared at his hands; the burns were completely healed. He slowly smiled before he leaned over and grabbed Superman, easily hoisting him over his head; he threw the unconscious form into the air, and Superman went sailing far into the distance.

* * *

Perry drove down the interstate, debating whether to turn the radio on or not, but he knew his taste in music would be met with groans and complaints—especially from Lois—and that was something Perry could only put up with for so long.

"So," he said, deciding polite conversation was the safest route, "the mystery cousin seemed pretty normal."

"If you think being isolated all your life is normal," Lois replied from the front passenger seat, not looking up from the notes as she wrote. "Of course, having Clark as a cousin doesn't help." She snorted, amused. "Hey, at least she isn't blood related; then she'd **really** be screwed up, right?" She tilted her head, glancing behind her. "So, Jimbo, what do **you** think of her?"

Jimmy had been staring out the window into the darkness, lost in thought with his camera resting on his lap, but when he heard Lois' question, he jumped straight up, reflexively grabbing his camera, even as his head hit the roof of the vehicle. He groaned slightly as he rubbed his head. "Ow," he replied.

"Jimmy, you okay?" Chloe asked, smiling a little, raising an eyebrow as she looked over at him.

"Yeah," Jimmy answered as he settled back in his spot. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Little jumpy, aren't you?" Perry asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.

"No," Jimmy replied quickly, trying not to look nervous. "I'm fine, really."

"You did it, didn't you?" Lois asked seriously.

"Did what?" Jimmy asked, his voice cracking a little as his eyes widened.

"It's so obvious," Lois said, turning around to face the photographer, her expression annoyed. "You tried to sell her on Doctor Who, didn't you?"

Jimmy just stared at Lois. "Huh?" he asked.

"Oh, come on, Jimmy," Lois said, slowly smiling, "Lucy told me you kept talking about that on your first date with her; kept pestering her to watch the show."

"Uh…yeah," Jimmy said slowly, relaxing a little. "Yeah, that's—that's it; guilty as charged—you got me."

Suddenly, an unknown object slammed into the top of Perry's car. Everyone shouted as the roof crumpled in a bit, breaking the windows, and the car careened wildly across the road. Perry slammed on the brakes and fought for control of the car and managed to bring the vehicle to a stop. Everyone's heart was pounding and they were gasping for air, thankful they had been wearing their seatbelts.

"Everyone okay?" Perry asked.

"I think so," Lois replied shakily.

"Yeah," Jimmy said.

"What was that?" Chloe asked.

Everyone slowly unbuckled their seatbelts and slowly got out. They looked up at the crumpled roof, shocked to see Superman on his back, groaning softly. He groaned softly and slowly sat up, straining with all his muscles.

"Superman, are you okay?" Lois asked.

"Rudy…Jones," he said softly.

An object blurred out of nowhere and stopped near them. "Don't worry, I didn't go far," Rudy said, smirking; the four just stared, stunned, knowing exactly what had happened. Rudy approached Superman, but a rock suddenly hit him on the side of the head; it bounced harmlessly off him and fell to the ground. Rudy glanced over and saw Chloe picking up another rock, poised to throw it.

"Back off, Rudy," she said, trying to sound threatening. _This is a really stupid idea, Chloe._

"No," Rudy said simply before he squinted his eyes. They glowed briefly before two beams of heat shot out. Jimmy tackled Chloe before the beams hit her directly, but they managed to graze her left leg; she shouted in pain as she and Jimmy hit the ground. Perry grabbed Lois' wrist and pulled her behind the car; they watched helplessly as Rudy grabbed Superman and blurred away into the darkness. After he was gone, they slowly stood up; Jimmy supported Chloe with an arm around her waist, taking the weight off her injured leg.

"Chloe, you okay?" Lois asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Chloe replied. "It just stings a little."

"What were you thinking?" Lois asked incredulously. "Rudy Jones stole Superman's powers; a simple rock wasn't going to stop him."

"I know," Chloe replied. She glanced in the direction Rudy had gone. "We need to go back to Kents."

"You need to go to the hospital," Perry replied.

"I'm fine, Perry," Chloe said, wincing a little. "Just get me to the Kents' and let them patch me up; it's nothing more than a simple burn." Her leg hurt like hell, but she knew Jonathan and Martha needed to know that their son was in trouble. "Perry, really, I'm fine. Besides, I don't think your car's going to make it too far in its current condition."

Perry furrowed his eyebrows, but he simply nodded. "Okay, everyone, get it," he said. The four of them got in, and Jimmy helped Chloe into the back. Perry quickly turned the car around and floored the accelerator.

(End of Chapter 8)


	9. Chapter 9

Linda padded across the bedroom to her bed, wearing a pink tanktop with a cartoon blue owl on it, and matching pink drawstring shorts. She put her glasses on the nightstand before switching off the lamp and climbing under her sheets. She settled against the pillows, closing her eyes, but it didn't take her long to realize she wasn't going to be able to sleep; her thoughts kept drifting back to Jimmy.

The young girl didn't really know what to make of the whole situation. The dance had been wonderful—especially since she didn't step on Jimmy's feet—but what happened afterward had been something completely different, opening up new emotions that Linda hadn't even been aware of. She suddenly remembered details that had earlier seemed like a blur: the intense expression in his brown eyes—their color reminding her of the balsamic vinaigrette her mother cooked with; the small brown dots along his left jawbone…the texture of his lips against hers….

Linda gently brushed her fingers across her lips, slowly smiling. These new emotions may have been unfamiliar with her—they certainly would **never** have been allowed in Argo City—but they were new and exciting. As she sighed with content and closed her eyes, letting the events in the loft play over and over again in her mind, Linda made a mental note to ask her parents if Jimmy'd be able to come over again.

* * *

Superman groaned as Rudy tossed him onto the floor of the foundry. He craned his neck and looked up as Rudy picked up a long, heavy steel beam and easily broke it as if he was snapping a pencil in two; he tossed the two pieces aside grinning.

"Just like old times, eh?" Rudy said, "only this time, I'll make sure no one figures—" he suddenly started floating into the air; his expression changed to shock as he slowly ascended high and higher. "Crap, not this again!" He flailed his arms, trying to 'swim' down, but it didn't work; he continued upwards until he bumped into the foundry's ceiling, then crashed back to the ground; the ground shook and cracks formed from the impact.

Under other circumstances, Superman might have been amused, but he knew he had to get away. In addition Rudy having his abilities, the hero had to worry about the kryptonite in the building. It took him a couple of seconds to realize two: he wasn't getting sick—and neither was Rudy. Superman glanced around, and his eyes feel on the pile of crystalline rocks; it only too him a second to realize what had happened.

"You drained them, didn't you?" Superman asked hoarsely. Rudy slowly got to his feet, and Superman could see he was unscathed as Rudy smirked at him.

"Yeah, pretty cool, huh?" Rudy replied. "Well, at least for me, anyway." He glanced around the building, and his eyes fell on an old phone hanging against a nearby wall. He squinted his eyes; the phone ignited a second later. "Just so you don't get any ideas, E.T." He blurred away, leaving Superman on the ground.

Superman stared at smoldering phone; it seemed to mock him, but then a thought crossed his mind. He didn't like it—and he knew it was a **huge** long-shot, since he had absolutely no idea how to do it—but he didn't know what else to do. He sighed and took a deep breath, closing his eyes tightly, willing himself to focus and concentrate.

* * *

Chloe hissed a bit as Martha tended to her leg in the living room; Chloe sat sat on the couch, her leg propped up with some pillows. The burn wasn't too bad—second-degree with some blistering—and Martha delicately applied petroleum jelly over the affected area before wrapping it in gauze. Lois and Jimmy sat in the living room chairs.

"So, what happened then?" Jonathan asked, looking troubled with his arms folded, standing behind the couch with Perry.

"Jones grabbed Superman and bolted," Perry replied. "They could be anywhere by now."

Jonathan glanced at Martha, but before he could say anything they heard a loud squeak from upstairs—followed by the sound of a heavy crash. Everyone jerked their heads toward the stairs, startled.

"What in the world?" Jonathan asked as he started for the stairs.

"I'm okay!" Linda shouted from upstairs.

Jonathan stopped and furrowed his eyebrows, confused, and he glanced at Martha, who looked just as confused. Before anyone could do or say anything, Linda bounded down the stairs.

"Sorry about that," she said as she put her glasses on, "but I think I need a new—" She stopped when she saw Perry, Lois, Chloe, and Jimmy in the living room. "Oh. Uh, hi...again." She tilted her head, confused, glancing between her parents. "What's going on?"

"Linda, is everything okay?" Jonathan asked as he walked over.

"Yeah," she said, "I just," she glanced around, thinking quickly, "I need a new…lamp." _Yeah, that sounds good enough_, she thought. _Just go with it_. "I was…dreaming…and I guess I threw my arm out and knocked it over."

"How big was the lamp?" Lois asked, an amused smile on her face. "The size of a Buick?"

Linda looked affronted, but she didn't say anything as she looked back at Chloe. "So, what's going on?" she asked. "Why is everyone back?" She glanced briefly at Jimmy and saw him staring below her neckline; he glanced up, locking eyes with her, and then looked away, his cheeks a little pink.

"Well, everyone but Clark is back," Lois said sarcastically. "Guy needs to really needs to either answer his phone or get a new one if it's not working."

Linda eyed Chloe's wound, her stomach tightening a little. "What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"Rudy Jones took Superman's powers," Jimmy blurted out before anyone could answer, "and Superman, too."

"What?" Linda asked, jerking her head over as her voice rose a little.

"Thank you, Jimmy," Jonathan said, shooting a brief hard look at the young photographer. He turned back to Linda, who looked visibly upset.

"What happened?" she asked. "Where are they?"

"Linda, it's being handled," Jonathan replied.

"How?" Linda pressed.

Jonathan sighed, not wanting to get into this discussion with her—especially in front of the others. "Linda, it's being handled," he repeated more firmly. "Now, go back upstairs and go to bed." Linda opened her mouth to protest, but Jonathan gave her a look that convinced her not to argue.

"Yes, sir," the young girl mumbled, annoyed, before she huffed out of the room and headed up the stairs. A couple seconds later, they heard her door shut loudly.

Jonathan sighed. He hated seeing Linda worried and frustrated, but there was no way he could allow her to go after Rudy Jones—it was just too dangerous. He glanced over at Jimmy, and Jonathan's attitude quickly shifted. "Mind telling me who you think you are?" he demanded as he walked over to the young photographer.

"Jonathan," Martha said. She wasn't thrilled by what Jimmy had said, but she had an inkling Jonathan was letting certain other feelings about the young man influence his current emotions.

"No, Martha," Jonathan replied, never taking his eyes off Jimmy, "I want to know what in the world Jimmy hoped to accomplish."

"I just didn't see the harm in telling her what was going on, Mr. Kent," Jimmy said, shrugging halfheartedly. "Not like she could do anything about it anyway. Excuse me." He brushed past Jonathan, heading toward the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Jonathan asked.

"To get some fresh air," Jimmy said without turning around; he quietly exited the house, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

"This is totally not fair," Linda muttered as she paced the length of her room in the dark. She ignored the splintered remains of her bed, fuming. It was the first time she had ever been genuinely mad at her new family, but it didn't bother her. If Clark was really in trouble, then the logical thing was to let her help, especially if superpowers were involved. "It's not like anyone else is really qualified, anyway."

Suddenly, Linda grabbed the sides of her head and fell to her knees as her mind exploded with pain; it was as if someone stood next to her, screaming garble into her ears at full volume. She squeezed her eyes shut, the garble slowly clearing as the volume decreased to a more tolerable level; she strained and tried to focus.

Linda opened her eyes and saw a burst of white light blinded her temporarily like the flash of a camera. When her vision cleared, she was looking at a large dark area with metal beams and rusted equipment. Linda was a little startled, but she quickly realized she was seeing things through someone else's eyes.

A figure loomed in front of her, but she could only make out his silhouette; she didn't recognize him, but she figured it was Rudy Jones. And if that was Rudy Jones, then she realized whose eyes she was looking through.

"Clark," she whispered softly, stunned.

[Help me] she heard Clark's voice in her head; it sounded strained and weak. [Foundry…no rocks…]

Linda blinked, and there was another flash, then the young girl found herself staring at her darkened bedroom again. She no longer heard her cousin's voice, no matter how hard she concentrated. She briefly wondered how Clark managed to contact her in the first place, but she brushed that aside.

Clark needed her help.

(End of Chapter 9)


	10. Chapter 10

Jimmy rested his arms against the porch rail as he looked at the stars, thinking. Part of him regretted talking like that to the farmer—his mother **had** raised him to respect his elders—but he didn't regret what he had said. He knew the adults were going to lie to Linda, because they 'knew better,' as they would always tell him; Jimmy hated being on the receiving end of that.

A slight scuffling noise above him caught his attention, and he carefully craned his head. The scuffling continued as it drifted to the edge, and Jimmy stood up straighter, tensing a little; the noise stopped, and Jimmy relaxed a little; he sighed and leaned back against the porch rail.

A pair of feet with dark sneakers suddenly dangled in front of him, almost hitting him in the face. Startled and a little confused, Jimmy stepped back as a pair of slender legs in tight jeans came into view. The photographer raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, just watching as Linda, wearing a dark shirt to match her attire, lowered herself onto the porch, landing softly. The young girl looked proud as she pushed her glasses up her nose, but when she caught sight of Jimmy standing near the porch swing, her smile faded.

"Uh…hi," Linda said, nonchalantly. "Nice night, huh?"

"Sure," Jimmy replied calmly. "So…problem with the stairs?"

"Yep," Linda answered, recognizing the slight sarcasm in his voice, "they're guarded."

"You know," Jimmy replied, "since **I** was the one who told you what was going on, you mind telling me what **you're** doing?"

"Rather not," Linda answered as she started for the stairs. She liked Jimmy, but she needed to go save Clark—alone. "Nothing personal, Jimmy, but I have to go."

"So, how do you plan on finding them?" Jimmy asked suddenly. He watched as Linda froze at the top of the stairs. "And before you try to come up with some lame excuse, remember where I work."

Linda sighed, knowing she'd been caught. "What do you want?" she asked, looking at him.

"I want to know what you doing," Jimmy said as he walked over to her, arms still folded.

"How about actually trying to find Superman is instead of just sitting around just worrying?" Linda retorted. "He's hurt somewhere, he needs help, and no one really seems to be doing anything about it."

"And you plan on saving him yourself?" Jimmy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe," Linda answered. "No one else seems to be interested." She saw Jimmy staring at her, almost like he wanted to say something important. "What?"

"You're right," he said simply. "Someone needs to help him."

"Thank you," Linda replied, a little surprised.

"I'll come with you," Jimmy stated.

"No, that's okay," Linda protested. She definitely couldn't help her cousin if someone else was there. "I'll be fine."

"Uh huh," Jimmy said, unconvinced. He took a deep breath and let it out. "Look, either we go together—or I go tell Mr. and Mrs. Kent what you're planning on doing."

Linda scowled a little; she was tempted to call his bluff, but his demeanor clearly indicated that was a bad idea. "Fine," she said curtly before heading down the steps.

"Great," Jimmy said as he followed her. "So, first thing we'll need some wheels." His eyes fell on Perry's car, and he winced. Even though Perry'd managed to drive it back to the farm, there was no way that vehicle was going anywhere else on its own accord; Jimmy's drifted over to the blue truck. "Well, it's not my first choice, but it looks like the only one we have." He already knew the adults were going to kill him later, but he didn't care as he glanced over at Linda. "You know where the keys are?"

"Hanging on a hook on the wall in the kitchen," Linda said, "but I can't drive."

"I can," Jimmy said, "come on." The two teenagers headed to the vehicle and got in, with Jimmy behind the wheel and Linda sitting next to him.

"And how do you plan on driving a car without keys?" Linda asked as she watched as Jimmy used his pocketknife to fiddle with the steering column, carefully removing the plastic covering.

"Hotwiring 101," Jimmy replied as he started fiddling with some wires. He glanced over and saw Linda's confused expression; he chuckled softly as he went back to his work. "Remind me to tell you about it someday."

* * *

Jonathan was the first person to hear the familiar sound of a truck engine. He hurried from the living room through the kitchen and out the door in time to see the his truck speeding down the gravel drive; he ran down the porch and made it to the scalloped fence just as Martha, Perry, and Lois hurried out of the house; they all watched as the truck disappeared from sight.

"Did someone just take your truck?" Lois asked incredulously.

Jonathan turned around, his anger rising; he scanned the group and sighed, frustrated. "Where's Jimmy?" he asked.

"You think Jimmy took the truck?" Martha asked, shocked.

Jonathan stormed back toward the house, then he stopped when he saw Linda's bedroom window wide open. He stared, hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him then he bolted past the others, into the house, and up the stairs. He didn't even bother knocking as he barged into Linda's room. Jonathan was unfazed by the sight of a broken bed, but the sight of Linda's pajamas in a heap on the sheets—with no sign of his daughter anywhere—was a different story. His blood boiling, he turned and left the room, heading back downstairs.

"Linda's gone, too," Jonathan simply stated to everyone.

"What?" Martha asked, shocked. "How?"

"She climbed out the window," Jonathan replied, using every ounce of strength to keep from blowing up.

"Two guesses what they're doing," Chloe said, leaning against the island. She'd managed to limp her way into the kitchen while Jonathan had been upstairs.

Jonathan glanced at his wife, who looked just as worried as he felt. He grabbed his jacket off the coat rack and shrugged into it.

"Where are you going?" Martha asked.

"I'm going to go find them," Jonathan answered.

"Jonathan, you wouldn't even know where to start looking," Martha said. If Linda and Jimmy were doing what they all believed, then there was nothing anyone could really do at the moment. "We need to stay here, in case they call or come back."

Jonathan looked at his wife. He knew she didn't like it any more than he did, but she was right; there really wasn't anything they could do. He nodded a bit and removed his jacket, hanging it back on the coat rack.

"So, we're not going to even call the police?" Lois asked.

"It's a small town, Lois," Chloe answered. "If Jones is hiding here, we can't run the risk of him freaking out if he sees any cops; he could bolt, and we may never find him again." She glanced at the Kents, understanding the real reason they appeared worried and angry. "You know, there is the possibility that maybe they'll just find out where Jones is and call the authorities." Chloe watched as four pairs of eyes just stared over at her, and she sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, I don't believe that either."

* * *

Jimmy glanced over at Linda as she sat on the far side of the truck, her eyes closed tightly, almost as if she was focusing on a problem. Neither of them had said much since leaving the farm, and the photographer was wondering if Linda was having second thoughts.

"Hey," he said. Linda opened her eyes and looked over. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Linda replied quickly, trying to sound calm.

Jimmy just raised an eyebrow. "It's your first time, huh?" he asked after a few seconds.

"Huh?" Linda asked.

"Sneaking out," Jimmy replied. "You've never done it before, have you?"

"No," Linda answered honestly. "What about you?"

"Oh, tons of times," Jimmy said, almost proudly. He glanced over and saw her looking out her window into darkness, cupping her hands over her eyes to block any glare; he suddenly remembered something. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Linda replied, not looking up.

"When we were, um….," he said slowly, "dancing earlier, you told me you'd never danced before that night."

"I hadn't," Linda replied, looking over at him. "Why do you ask?"

Jimmy shrugged. "You just seemed pretty sure of yourself, that's all."

"Maybe I just had a good teacher," Linda replied, smiling slightly.

Jimmy felt his cheeks growing warm, and he kept his attention focused on the road as his fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter. "So, uh," he said quickly, "where are we going again?"

"Creekside Foundry," Linda replied firmly.

"Why there?" Jimmy asked, curious.

Linda froze. In all the excitement, she had forgotten that Jimmy wasn't aware of her abilities, and she knew she couldn't just tell him—her adoptive parents were already going to be furious with her for sneaking out. The young girl quickly racked her brain, trying to remember everything she had read and been told about the foundry, coming up with something that hopefully sounded believable.

"Because it's been abandoned since the meteor shower," she said calmly, "and it's a good distance from town." She shrugged, trying to sound sure of herself. "It'd be a perfect hideout." She didn't hear a response, so she glanced over, expecting to see and hear Jimmy laughing at her, but he looked impressed.

"Creekside Foundry it is," he replied.

(End of Chapter 10)


	11. Chapter 11

Jimmy turned off the headlights as he slowly inched down the foundry road; he stopped the truck about a half a mile away and killed the engine. The two teenagers just stared at the run down building in the distance.

"Now what?" Jimmy asked after a few moments. Linda took a deep breath and got out, closing the door quietly behind her; Jimmy quickly scrambled out of the truck and joined her as she tiptoed down the dirt road.

"You're actually going through this?" Jimmy asked, his voice barely audible, his eyes adjusting quickly to the dark; the only light shone down from the moon, but it was just enough to see any large rocks that might be a hazard.

"We're already going to be in big trouble for sneaking out and taking Dad's truck," Linda whispered back. "Maybe if we actually **find** Superman, they might not be so upset."

Jimmy snorted. "Yeah, sure," he said, slightly sarcastic, "believe that all you want." Linda quickened her pace, and the young man found himself trotting to keep up with her. They were silent for the rest of the way to the building, sneaking around the exterior until the found a door. Even in the dim light, both teenagers could see the door leaning against the frame, and the knob had been crushed; the two glanced at each other nervously.

"Nice call," Jimmy said softly.

"Thanks," Linda replied, trying to sound calm. She stared at the door, squinting slightly. There was a white flash, and her vision changed to X-ray. She could see past the door into the rest of building and did a quick scan of the area, noticing some of the objects she couldn't see through. _Lead_, she thought, as she continued looking around. She quickly spotted two figures, one standing half-hidden behind a lead object, and another sprawled on the floor. Linda glanced briefly over at Jimmy, wondering how she was going to get rid of him.

"Jimmy, we need to get the police," Linda said after a few seconds.

"Come again?" Jimmy asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Police," Linda repeated. "We need to get them."

"Why?" Jimmy asked, confused. "What happened to doing this ourselves?"

"Uh, well," Linda replied slowly, "we **did** find them." Jimmy looked a little unconvinced, and she sighed. "Look, Jimmy, if Rudy Jones is in there, then we're going to need help, right?"

Jimmy appeared unsure, but he shrugged. "Okay," he said. "Let's go get them together."

"No," Linda said quickly. Jimmy furrowed his eyebrows. "Uh, I mean…maybe I should stay here and **you** go get the police?"

"Why me?" Jimmy asked. "This is **your** town; the police know **you** better."

"Yeah, but I don't know how to drive," Linda pointed out. "If by some lucky chance I make it there without damaging the truck, they're going to keep me there."

"Who says they won't hold **me** there when I show up?" Jimmy retorted. "What if your dad reported the truck stolen?"

"Given the circumstances," Linda replied, "he probably hasn't." _As least, I hope not_. "He's probably waiting for us back at the farm."

"Great," Jimmy muttered. "All things considered, I think I'd rather deal with the police over your father."

"Does that mean you'll get them?" Linda asked.

Jimmy glanced at Linda; he was tempted to say no, but he sighed and nodded. "Fine, I'll go," he replied.

"Make sure you find the Sheriff," Linda said. "His name is Pete Ross; tell him we found Superman, and that I'm here waiting…he'll know what to do."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Jimmy added. He put a hand on her shoulder, looking serious. "Please don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"I won't," Linda said sincerely.

Jimmy stared at her for a few seconds before he appeared satisfied. He trotted back towards the truck; Linda watched him get in the truck and drive off. She waited until he was out of sight before she faced the damaged door of the old building.

"And if I didn't have superpowers," Linda added as she removed her glasses, "this really **would** be stupid." She tucked them into her back pocket before carefully picking up the door and setting it aside; she took a deep breath and cautiously made her way in.

* * *

Superman had to fight to keep his eyes open; he tried focusing his thoughts, but he was too weak. Rudy stood at the far side of the foundry, working to master his new abilities; Superman could tell the fugitive was quickly learning control. Movement out of his left peripheral caught Superman's attention; he slowly craned his head, and his eyes widened a little when he saw Linda quietly sneaking over.

"Hi," she whispered as she knelt beside him. "You okay?"

"How did-," Superman started, but then he stopped, looking stunned. "It actually worked, didn't it?"

Linda nodded. "Yeah, but you gotta work on your volume control. Come on, let's get out of here." She positioned herself and reached under her cousin's arm.

"Hey!" The two looked up and saw Rudy glaring at them. He quickly blurred over, stopping about ten feet from them towering over them; he glared at the young girl. "Who the hell are you? How did you find this place?"

"Leave her alone, Rudy," Superman replied hoarsely, "she's no one."

"Now, why don't I buy that?" Rudy asked as he slowly walked over, stopping a few feet away. Suddenly, he furrowed his eyebrows, then slowly grinned. "Man, oh, man, this **is** my lucky day. Two for the price of one."

"What are you talking about?" Superman asked.

"The girl from Metropolis," Rudy replied, never taking his eyes off the young girl. "Heard about her in the papers." He looking her up and down appreciatively, whistling softly. "Definitely cuter in person." He took a step toward Linda. "Come on, honey, let's have a kiss." He opened his mouth wide, and Superman and Linda blanched when they saw the grotesque, leech-like features instead of normal teeth.

"I'd rather kiss a Bloodmorel," Linda said, frowning.

Rudy looked confused, then pretended to be insulted. "Aw, too fast?" His features hardened as he moved slowly toward her. "I can settle for holding hands instead."

"Hold this," Linda replied before she thrust her hand out, palm facing Rudy. The fugitive flew backwards into the air, landing hard onto the ground fifty feet away, stunned. Linda raised his eyebrows, a little surprised; she slowly glanced at her cousin, who also appeared startled.

"Nice hit," he simply said.

"Thanks," Linda replied, surprised; she couldn't believe that it had actually worked. She slowly smiled proudly as she started to stand, but Superman reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Don't let him touch you," he reminded her.

"Don't plan on it," Linda replied before standing up; her heart pounded in her chest as she watched Rudy getting to his feet. She was relieved her new power seemed to be working properly—finally—but a tiny doubt in the back of her mind, like she really had no business doing; she quickly pushed it aside. _No turning back now, girl_, she thought as she tried to appear confident and sure of herself, hoping that Rudy wouldn't know just how scared she truly was.

Rudy rubbed his head, trying to get the ringing to stop. "What the hell?" he mumbled as he slowly looked over. The girl stepped toward him, stopping ten feet in front of Superman; she stared at Rudy with a determined expression on her face. The fugitive would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation if she hadn't…he didn't even know what she had done to him. All he **did** know what that he wanted it—and she was going to pay.

_Remember what Dad said,_ Linda thought as Rudy charged her. _Just focus._ She held up her right hand, palm out, and Rudy suddenly stopped as if he'd hit an invisible wall. He tried moving, but it felt like he was bound with invisible ropes; he couldn't even wiggle his fingers.

Linda felt her muscles tense as she held Rudy in place, her arms shaking slightly. She knew she couldn't keep him there forever, so she took a deep breath and flung her hand to the side. Rudy violently flew through the air and slammed into the wall, denting it before falling to the ground.

Breathing hard, Linda put her hands on her knees, hoping Rudy would stay down; she watched him for a few seconds. He didn't move, and the young girl appeared relieved, but it was short-lived as Rudy slowly got to his feet, glaring straight at her.

"So, you wanna play like that, huh?" he growled. He squinted his eyes, and two heat beams shot out. Linda's eyes widened, and she reflexively threw her hands up to protect her face, turning her head and tensing for the burn. After a few seconds, she slowly opened her eyes as she realized she wasn't getting hurt. She slowly looked over and saw the beams stopping a couple inches in front of her; she could feel the heat against her hands, but the actual beams were being deflected.

Linda's arms and legs started shaking, and she desperately wanted to drop the invisible shield she'd created and rest, but she knew she couldn't. She squeezed her eyes tight, focusing harder than she could ever remember, tapping into the deepest part of her abilities. With a loud shout, she threw her hands forward, sending a wave of telekinetic energy throughout the entire structure.

Rudy flew backwards and crashed into the far wall, falling to the floor; a second later, pieces of steel girders and loose machinery and equipment sailed past Linda. As Rudy stood, he was pelted like young crops in an unrelenting hailstorm. He still had enough of his abilities intact to deflect some of the incoming missiles, but he didn't see the large piece of girder until right before it slammed into his face. He stood, stunned for a moment before his eyes rolled back and he fell forward onto the floor, unconscious.

(End of Chapter 11)


	12. Chapter 12

Linda stared where Rudy lay, her hands still raised, her body tense; she watched, waiting for any sign of movement, but after a few seconds, she realized he was truly down for the count. The young girl breathed a sigh of relief—right before all the strength left her body. She collapsed to her knees, shaking and breathing hard; her vision blurred slightly, and she suddenly felt like she was going to throw up.

The young girl became aware of an extremely muffled sound coming from her left. She slowly craned her head in time to see Superman kneeling in front of her, looking extremely anxious. He put his hands on her shoulders, and Linda could tell he was talking, but all she heard was the muffled sound; it quickly turned into a high-pitched ringing that slowly faded. Finally, Linda was able to hear her cousin's voice.

"Linda, can you hear me?" Superman asked, worriedly.

Linda slowly nodded. "Yeah, I think so," she said softly, dazed. She suddenly became aware of something wet trickling into her mouth, something with a metallic taste. She wiped it gently and saw her fingers were bright red. "My nose," she said softly.

"And your ears, too," Superman said. Linda reached up and touched her ear with her other hand; her fingertips had blood on them as well. The young girl looked a little mortified as she glanced up at her cousin. "Here." He used the end of his cape to gently wipe her ears and then her nose; when he finished, he looked back at her. "You okay?"

"I think so," Linda said, still dazed and exhausted. "You?"

Superman nodded. "Tired, but I'll be okay." He glanced around at the damage. "Well, I guess it's safe to say no more hay blizzards, huh?" He looked back at Linda, who looked like she'd been put through the wringer. There was a lot they needed to talk about, but he knew she was his first priority. "Can you stand?"

"I think so," Linda said. She felt her cousin wrap his arm around her waist before helping her to her feet; he saw her knees shake a little, and he let her lean against him. ""Come on, let's go." He guided her slowly out of the building.

"So, are you mad at me?" Linda asked softly as they carefully made their way outside.

Superman heard the sound of sirens approaching, and he sighed. "We'll discuss that later," he said. "Think you can run back to the farm without being seen?"

"Probably not," Linda answered. "I can barely stand as it is."

"Then go hide," Superman said, "and stay there until the police go."

Linda looked up at her cousin. "What about Jimmy? He's going to wonder where I am."

Superman stopped and stared down at her, confused. "You brought Jimmy with you?" He looked incredulous.

"He kinda drove us in the truck," Linda answered, "…after we snuck out."

Superman closed his eyes. "And I'm willing to bet Jimmy hotwired it," he said simply, "since there is no way Dad or Mom would have lent you the keys." He took in a deep breath as he saw vehicles approaching; he sighed. "Okay, but you do exactly what I say, okay?" Linda nodded. "Where are your glasses?" Linda reached into her back pocket and pulled them out; she slipped them on just as five police vehicles - sirens wailing and lights flashing - pulled up; the blue truck pulled up behind them. All of them screeched to a halt, and everyone jumped out of their vehicles; the police had their weapons drawn as they came over, with Jimmy close behind.

"Everything's okay, officers," Superman said. "Rudy Jones is inside; he's unconscious, but please be careful around him." The officers headed inside as Pete stared at the two, holstering his weapon.

"Do I even want to know what happened?" Pete asked, glancing between the two cousins; he saw the light smears of blood on Linda's face. "Linda, you okay?"

"I'm fine," Linda answered before glancing over at Jimmy, smiling weakly. "Hey, Jimmy."

"Are you **sure** you're okay?" Jimmy asked, his eyes wide with concern. "You're bleeding."

"Just a little nosebleed," Linda replied. "I'm fine, really." She tried to stand up straight, but she couldn't; she held on to Superman for support.

"What happened?" Jimmy asked. "You told me you weren't going to do anything stupid."

"And I think not doing anything stupid was thrown out the window the moment you two snuck out," Superman replied, looking at both teenagers sternly, "and hotwired Mr. Kent's truck." Jimmy stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet, looking down. "Now, I have to stay here, but I want both of you to go back to the Kent Farm now, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir," Jimmy mumbled.

"Okay," Linda added, feeling worse.

"And be careful," Superman added, his expression and tone softening a little. He glanced down at Linda then looked at Jimmy. "Jimmy, she's not feeling well. Would you please take care of her?"

Jimmy looked up, surprised. "Uh, sure thing," he said slowly. "I'll get the truck door." He trotted back to the vehicle.

"Come on, you," Superman said before he gently picked Linda up and carried her to the truck. Jimmy waited with the passenger door open, and Superman gently placed her inside, buckling her in. He glanced over at Jimmy briefly before he headed back over to Pete. Jimmy sighed and closed the door before heading over to the driver's side.

* * *

"So, you wanna tell me what happened back there?" Jimmy asked as he turned the truck south. "I thought you said you weren't going to do anything stupid." He was really trying not to raise his voice, but it was difficult seeing her with blood on her face, he was not happy.

"I didn't," Linda said as she leaned against the window, trying to stay awake. The nausea had long since faded, but she really just wanted to just curl up and go to sleep.

"You went inside," Jimmy said. "Tell me how going into a building with a psycho who has Superman's abilities is not stupid. If you hadn't gone in there, he wouldn't have hurt you either."

"He didn't hurt me, Jimmy," Linda replied. Jimmy glanced over at her, confused. "Rudy never touched me."

"Then what happened?" Jimmy asked.

Linda glanced over at him, and for a second she really just wanted to tell him the truth, but she knew she'd be in even hotter water with her family; she simply sighed. "Relapse, I guess," she finally said.

"'Relapse'?" Jimmy asked.

"Remember from dinner?" Linda said. "Poor health all my life. I guess all the excitement of sneaking out and stuff just stressed me out…and I had a nosebleed."

"So, nothing happened?" Jimmy pressed.

"Besides Superman kicking the crap out of Rudy Jones and me getting a nosebleed," Linda said, "nothing out of the ordinary." She saw the truck turn onto a familiar gravel drive, and she groaned. "Do we have to actually go back?"

"Afraid so," Jimmy replied as he pulled up to the scalloped fence. He turned off the engine and started getting out, then he glanced over and saw Linda exiting the vehicle. "Linda, wait."

"I'm fine," Linda said as she put her feet on the ground and tried standing, but the strength hadn't quite returned to her legs; her knees shook and she started sinking to the ground.

Jimmy rushed over and caught her, his arm around her waist, supporting her. "Uh, huh," he said as his eyes locked with hers. For a moment, the teenagers forgot about the severity of the situation they were in as they just stared at each other, then Jimmy quickly cleared his throat, and Linda could see his cheeks grow red. "We, uh, we'd better get going."

"I'm don't think I can walk very well," Linda said softly.

Jimmy just stared at her for a second, then he took a deep breath. Keeping the one arm around her waist, he used his other to scoop her legs up, supporting her. "Hold on." He started up the driveway, doing his best to ignore the feeling of Linda as she wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his chest.

He was halfway to the house when the kitchen door opened and Jonathan walked out; he stopped when he saw Jimmy carrying his daughter, who looked completely out of it. The farmer looked from Jimmy to Linda, then back to Jimmy, his mouth slightly open, eyebrows furrowed.

"Uh…hi, Mr. Kent," Jimmy said slowly.

"Hey, Dad," Linda added weakly.

Jonathan didn't say anything as he closed his mouth, and both teenagers could see his nostrils flare slightly, his jaw set. "They're back," he called into the house without turning his head.

"We're dead," Jimmy said bluntly.

(End of Chapter 12)


	13. Chapter 13

"What happened?" Jonathan asked as he hurried down the porch steps. He was within arm's length when he saw the red tint on Linda's nose and ear; the farmer's anger was quickly replaced with concern. "Martha!" He started looking over his daughter, checking her for any other injuries. "Linda, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Linda said softly. "Just tired."

"Here, let me have her," Jonathan said. He didn't wait for Jimmy respond as he took Linda from the photographer's arms and turn around; he made it to the porch as Martha hurried out, followed by Perry, Lois, and a limping Chloe.

"What happened?" Martha asked frantically as Jonathan climbed the stairs.

"I'm fine," Linda repeated. "Honest."

"Do I need to call a doctor?" Lois asked.

"No," Jonathan answered before hurrying into the house; Martha followed closely behind. Both Perry and Lois glanced at each other, then looked over as Jimmy slowly climbed the stairs.

"Go ahead," he said as he stayed near the top of the stairs. "Lay into me."

"I think we'll save that for your mother," Perry said sternly.

Jimmy paled, and he felt his stomach drop a little. "My mother?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. "Do we really have to tell her about this? I mean, she's working and all; don't want to distract her from that, right?"

"Should've thought about that a long time ago," Perry replied. "Now, what happened?"

Jimmy really wanted to tell them all to leave him alone, but he knew that wouldn't be the best decision right now. He sighed before he told them everything: from how he caught Linda sneaking out, to leaving Linda at the foundry, to returning with the police and seeing Linda being helped out of the foundry by Superman.

"So, did they say what happened?" Chloe asked.

"Not really," Jimmy replied, "but Linda told me in the truck that Rudy didn't touch her."

"Then how did she get hurt?" Lois asked, confused.

Jimmy shrugged. "She said because of her poor health when she was younger, she'd sometimes get nosebleeds," he answered. "Guess the excitement was too much." Before anyone could say anything, Martha walked out of the house, looking visibly stressed out but surprisingly calm.

"How's Linda?" Chloe asked.

"Resting," Martha replied. "She's just really tired right now from all the excitement." She glanced at Jimmy, raising an eyebrow.

"Mrs. Kent, I'm really sorry," Jimmy said. "I never wanted Linda to get hurt."

"Jimmy, Linda told us what happened," Martha replied calmly, "and while Jonathan and I are upset about your part in this, Linda shares some of the blame as well."

"Is she going to be okay?" Jimmy asked.

Martha nodded. "She just needs to get some rest," she replied. "And speaking of rest, I think maybe you guys need to head back to Metropolis before it gets any later." She handed Perry a set of car keys. "Jonathan says you can borrow our car until yours gets towed."

"Thanks, Martha," Perry said, taking the keys. "And thanks for everything," he glanced at Jimmy, "despite the setbacks." Jimmy shrank a little. Martha watched as Perry, Lois, Chloe, and Jimmy headed for her car, Lois muttering about how she was going to lay into Clark next time she saw him. They got in and Perry started the engine before pulling away. She waited until the car was out of sight before her smile disappeared into a tired expression; she glanced at the sky briefly before heading back into the house, quietly closing the door behind her.

* * *

Almost two hours passed before the kitchen door slowly opened and Clark walked in; he wore is civilian clothes and glasses, but he looked worn out. "Mom?" he called out. "Dad?" He looked over at the stairs as Martha and Jonathan hurried down and over to their son.

"Clark, are you okay?" Martha asked as she hugged her son tightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Clark said, hugging her back. "Just a little tired."

"What about Jones?" Jonathan asked.

"Henderson and the S.C.U. came and took care of him," Clark answered. "Rudy's been heavily sedated, and he's being transported to Metropolis under heavy security." He glanced around. "And I'm guessing everyone's gone?"

"They left about two hours ago," Martha replied. "Oh, and just a little heads up: Lois is not happy she couldn't reach you during this entire mess."

Clark winced a little; he wasn't looking forward to that encounter. "How's Linda?" he asked.

"She's upstairs sleeping," Jonathan replied. He sighed as he looked at his son with a serious expression on his face. "What happened out there, Clark?"

"Linda didn't tell you?" Clark asked, confused.

"Only bits and pieces," Martha answered, "but she was really tired; she closed her as soon as her head hit her pillows. Clark, how did she know where to look for you?"

Clark sighed. "That would be my fault," he said. "I sorta contacted her…telepathically." Jonathan and Martha looked surprised as they stared at him. "Linda told me about it earlier today at the crash site." He shook his head, shrugging. "I'm still don't know why it worked."

"Because I opened the connection," a small voice replied. Everyone turned to see Linda standing at the foot of the stairs; she appeared slightly nervous, standing in her pink pajamas, looking pale. "Hi." Before anyone could respond, she crossed the room and hugged Clark tightly around the waist, burying her face in his chest; he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back. "I'm sorry, Clark."

"Hey, it's okay," Clark said softly.

"You're supposed to resting, young lady," Jonathan said gently.

"I know," Linda replied, pulling back, "and I tried, but…it's hard to sleep on a broken bed, and then I heard voices."

Clark raised an eyebrow, looking down at her. "What happened to the bed?" he asked.

"It was before I sneaked out," Linda said. "I was…dreaming, and I guess I started floating. Made it all the way to the ceiling before I woke up…and fell…onto the bed."

Clark smiled a little. "Don't be so hard on yourself," he said. "Dad had to make me a new bed several times when I was your age."

"I'm thinking about reinforcing it with steel this time," Jonathan replied, then he cleared his throat. "Linda, what did you mean when you said you opened the connection with Clark?"

"That's how telepathy worked on Krypton," Linda answered. "Usually, the parents—through bonding with their child—take care of that, but," she shrugged, "mine didn't want to be bothered with that."

"Rok-Var?" Clark asked.

Linda nodded. "He taught me how to control it from a young age, so we could safely communicate. When I 'talked' with Clark, I opened up the connection with him…that's how he was able to contact me." She shrugged. "I can teach you how to control it, if you want."

Clark smiled and kissed her forehead. "I would really like that, Short Stack."

"Okay, so that explains how Linda was able to find you," Jonathan said, "but that doesn't explain what caused her nose and ears to bleed, and her to become extremely weak. No, if it wasn't Rudy Jones, then tell us what it was." He sounded a little angry, but he was really just worried.

"That would have been because of my telekinesis," Linda replied slowly.

"How could your telekinesis cause that?" Martha asked, confused.

Linda shrugged. "I must have really tapped into it while I was fighting Rudy," she said. "I guess I strained a little too hard." Martha's and Jonathan eyes grew wide.

"But before you guys get too upset," Clark quickly spoke up before their parents could vocalize their concerns, "you should know Linda was…amazing." Linda looked surprised; she would have guessed Clark would have been mad at her—he probably still was—but at the moment he was actually defending her. "He couldn't get anywhere near her."

"That was intended," Linda said.

"She actually blocked his heat vision and brought down half the foundry on him," Clark continued.

"Not really intended," Linda added, "but very much appreciated."

"And she knocked Rudy out with a steel girder right to the face," Clark finished.

"Again, not intended, but strangely satisfying," Linda replied.

"So, Rudy saw you using your powers?" Jonathan asked, furrowing his eyebrows, his tone changing.

"Um…kinda," Linda said slowly.

"Which means a psychotic criminal now knows about you, Linda," Jonathan continued.

"In all fairness," Linda said calmly, "people kinda figured out about me last month when I threw a guy into a store window in Metropolis."

"Linda, that's not funny," Martha replied.

"I'm not trying to be," Linda protested. "I'm just saying that's what he called me: 'the girl from Metropolis.'"

"You're missing the point, Linda," Jonathan replied, his voice rising a little. "We've been trying to get people to forget that incident by having you lay low, and then this happens."

"Rudy won't say anything," Linda said, trying not to sound frustrated.

"And how do you know that?" Jonathan asked, folding his arms.

"Because I made him forget I was even there," Linda blurted out.

Clark furrowed his eyebrows. "What did you say?" he asked.

Linda sighed. "When Rudy said he recognized me," she said, "I panicked and just…zapped his mind a little...made him believe he'd fought Clark instead of me."

"You changed his memories?" Martha asked, look alarmed. "Linda…?"

"How…how do you even know how to do that?" Clark asked, not sure what he should be feeling.

"Rok-Var," Linda answered. "There were several times he had to do that to my parents…otherwise they would have killed us; he did it to protect me. I only did it to protect Clark and me." She didn't realize she was crying until she felt the tears spilling down her cheeks; she quickly wiped them away.

Clark felt a twinge of guilt—like he was partially responsible for Linda's actions—and took a deep breath as he glanced at their parents. They both looked troubled by this new revelation, but they had calmed down visibly…even Jonathan. Clark sighed and looked down at Linda.

"Linda," he said softly. Linda slowly looked up at him. "No one is mad at you, okay?"

"Dad is," Linda replied.

Jonathan sighed, and put a hand on Linda's shoulder. "No, Linda, I'm not," he said, his tone low and calm. "I just want you to be safe—both you and Clark—but this is not the way to go about it; you can't just change peoples' memories on a whim. You wouldn't like it if it someone did that to you, would you?"

"No, sir," Linda answered softly.

"Then let's not do that again, okay?" Jonathan was happy Linda nodded, and he smiled a little and kissed her forehead. "That's my girl." Linda yawned, her eyes drooping.

"Come on, Linda," Martha said gently, putting an arm around the young girl. "Let's get you back to bed." She carefully led Linda toward the stairs.

"G'night," Linda said drowsily, yawning again. They started up the stairs and made it halfway up before…"Hey, Mom, I was just thinking about something," Linda said as they continued walking.

"What's on your mind, sweetie?"

"Well, I read somewhere that dancing and kissing are considered pre-mating rituals, right?"

"Uh…yeah," Martha said slowly, confused. "Sometimes." She shot a brief look toward Clark and Jonathan, who looked a little uncomfortable. She shrugged her shoulders and both women disappeared from view, but both men could still hear them talking. "Why do you ask?"

"Does that mean Jimmy wants to mate with me?"

Jonathan pursed his lips and slowly looked over at Clark; his son's expression of disbelief would have been far more amusing if the subject matter hadn't been what it was. He just stared at his son with a hard expression. "Clark?" he asked.

"I'll talk to Jimmy tomorrow," Clark replied.

"Good, or I will," Jonathan said. He sighed. "Now, I assume you'll be spending the night and not attempting to fly home."

"No, sir," Clark replied. "Trust me, the way I'm feeling, I'd probably fall asleep at thirty-thousand feet and drift right into the path of a seven forty seven."

Jonathan ruffled Clark's hair a bit. "Then let's get you ready for bed." He put his arm around his son's shoulders as they headed into the living room.

(End of Chapter 13)


	14. Chapter 14

The morning sunlight filtered in the through the front window of the Ace o' Clubs; it was weak, making the place look darker and dustier than it really was. Some of the beams hit the wooden support columns sporadically placed around the area. A large beam hit the pool table in the center of the bar, making one section of the green velvety top brighter than the rest of the table.

Jimmy quietly swept the hardwood floor with a worn-out broom, getting in between the cracks and crevices, and around and under the chairs and tables. He was exhausted, having only gotten about three hours of sleep, but he still considered himself lucky he'd gotten **any** after getting back to Metropolis: after dropping off Chloe and Lois, Perry had personally escorted Jimmy to his apartment and stayed with him while Jimmy contacted his mother. They hadn't talked very long, but it had been long enough for Jimmy to know that his mother was **not** happy with him, and she would be dealing with him after returning home.

The sound of clinking bottles jarred the young photographer from his stupor, and he quickly went back to sweeping as a figure exited the backroom with a large box of beer bottles in his hands. He was tall, with graying hair that thinned out on the top, a pleasant yet forgettable face, and keen blue eyes that could pierce you like a Norse wind. He wore a white undershirt and faded blue jeans with work boots. He glanced briefly at the teenager as he headed behind the bar, saying nothing as he put the box down and started unloading bottles into the cooler. When he had finished, he started flattening the box, watching the teenager work silently with his head down.

"Hey, Jimmy," he said, his voice soft and faint, yet grizzled with an accent that Jimmy never could quite place; the teenager stopped and looked up. "Why don't you take a break?" Jimmy looked reluctant, but he stopped and propped the broom against a nearby table. He looked like he was walking to death row as he came over to the bar and sat on one of the cushioned stools. "So, ready to talk?"

"About what?" Jimmy asked.

"About what's bothering you," Bibbo answered.

"I'm fine," Jimmy said as he got up and went back to sweeping.

"Right," Bibbo replied, unconvinced, watching him. "So, I'm sure you'll tell Lucy, right?"

Jimmy froze but didn't say anything; he quickly went back to sweeping. "Tell her about what?"

"About what happened last night," Bibbo answered. "I mean, I'm sure Lane's already filled her in, but I'd think you'd want to tell her yourself, just so she doesn't get the wrong idea about you and Kent's cousin."

Jimmy glanced over and saw Bibbo fix him with a look, but the teenager just went right back to his work. Bibbo sighed and got up from his stool, heading toward the backroom when the front door opened. Both Bibbo and Jimmy looked over as Clark walked in. Bibbo nodded and smiled. "Hey, Kent."

"Bibbo," Clark replied as he walked over. He glanced at Jimmy as the young man started shrinking in on himself. "Could I borrow Jimmy for a little bit?"

"Sure," Bibbo replied, "but don't keep him too long; his mother made it very clear she wants him in here eight to twelve, five days a week, for a month."

"I'll make sure he gets back, don't worry," Clark replied. He glanced over at Jimmy, raising an eyebrow. "Jimmy?"

Jimmy was tempted to say something sarcastic, but decided against it; he was already in enough hot water. He sighed and propped the broom against the bar before following Clark out of the tavern. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"You'll see," Clark said as he hailed a cab. They got in, and Clark said something quietly to the driver. As they drove across town, no one said anything. After a few minutes, the cab pulled to the curb, and Clark and Jimmy got out; Jimmy raised his eyebrows when he saw where they were.

"Big Belly Burger?" Jimmy asked, surprised. Clark nodded. "It's not even nine, Clark."

"Well, they do have a breakfast menu," Clark replied as he walked over to the door, "but something tells me you could use your usual." He held it open, and Jimmy walked in. Inside the small diner-like restaurant, they found an empty booth; they sat on opposite sides, and a waitress in her mid-twenties came over, smiling, notepad and pencil in hand. "Good morning," she said. "My name is Tanya. What can I getcha?"

"I'll have a BBQ Belly Buster combo with a Soder Cola," Clark replied.

"And you, hon?" Tanya asked Jimmy.

Jimmy hesitated, but then he sighed. "Triple Belly Flop combo with cheese," he said, "hold the onions, and a chocolate shake."

"Alrighty, I'll get those goin'," Tanya said, scribbling before leaving.

For a long time, Jimmy and Clark avoiding looking at each other, not sure what to say or do. Clark fiddled with napkin holder, making sure the condiments were organized. "There," he said as he pushed it back into place. He glanced at Jimmy and sighed; it was now or never. "Look, Jimmy, I bet you're wondering why I wanted to talk to you."

"Not really," Jimmy answered. "It's about last night." He tilted his head. "You know Lois is really ticked off at you."

"Yeah, I got the text messages," Clark replied, wincing a little, "and the voice messages."

"So, what happened?"

"My phone ran down," Clark answered calmly, "and I'd left my charger at the apartment, so when I got back, I didn't know what was going on until I got it charging; hurried back to Smallville as quickly as I could. Slept at the farm for a few hours, then came back here to see you." Jimmy's eyebrow rose slightly, almost like he wanted to say something. "What?"

"Nothing," Jimmy replied, shrugging, looking down, then glancing up at Clark. "How's Linda?"

"She's doing a lot better," Clark replied. "Just needed some rest, that's all."

Jimmy looked relieved, then he sighed. "Look, Clark, I hope you know I didn't mean for her to get hurt."

"I know," Clark said. "You both were to blame for what happened last night." Tanya showed up with their food at that moment, so the two men decided to spend some time eating; they were halfway through their burgers before Clark spoke again. "And, since we're on the subject of Linda…."

"And here it goes," Jimmy said as he put down a half-eaten, ketchup-covered fry.

"What?" Clark asked.

"This is the part where you say 'hey, Jimmy, you're a nice guy, but my parents and I would really prefer it if you didn't see Linda anymore.' That about sum it up?"

"No," Clark said slowly, "actually, I was going to say I think we need to talk about what happened between you and Linda in the loft last night."

Jimmy stiffened, looking a little petrified. "You," he swallowed nervously, "you know about that?"

Clark nodded. "Linda was happy that her first party went…well," he said, trying not to look uncomfortable, "and she was very excited to tell us all about what you guys did in the barn: the pictures, the dance," he gave Jimmy a sideways glance, "the kiss." He saw Jimmy squirm in his seat, his eyes darting to the front door to see if he could make a quick escape. "Look, Jimmy, I'm not here to pound you, okay?" He shifted, a little nervous. "I get it, I really do. I'd also like to think I've gotten to know you pretty well over the past two years," he took a deep breath, "and I **know** you're not the kind of guy who would go behind his girlfriend's back and take advantage of someone inexperienced with relationships." He looked at the teenager, trying not to appear confrontational.

Jimmy stared at Clark for what seemed like the longest time, then he sighed, resigned. "Yeah, well, it's kinda hard to go behind my girlfriend's back when I don't have one," he said simply.

Clark looked confused. "I thought you and Lucy—"

"She broke up with me, Clark," Jimmy interrupted.

"What?" Clark asked, surprised. "When?"

"Yesterday morning," Jimmy answered.

"Wow…," Clark said slowly. "I'm sorry...if you don't mind me asking, what happened? I thought you guys were doing okay."

"Well, we'd had been fighting lately," Jimmy admitted, "and the night before last, we had a pretty big one. She was mad at me because she wanted something I wouldn't give her."

"What did she—?" Clark's eyes widened a little when he saw the slight pink in Jimmy's cheeks as the teenager glanced away, embarrassed. "Oh, that."

"Yeah," Jimmy replied, "so, yesterday morning, I went to go see her to talk to her, and I was about to knock on the apartment door when it opened…and one of the seniors from our football team was leaving." He shrugged. "When I confronted her about it, she blew up at me, called me some things I'd rather not repeat, and then said we were through." He smiled humorlessly. "Great birthday present, huh?" He stuffed a few fries into his mouth and chewed silently.

Clark just stared at Jimmy, wondering if this was some weird prank the teenager was trying to pull over on him, but Clark knew Jimmy would **never** be this vulnerable with him—with **anyone**—unless it was true. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Man, I'm sorry," he said sincerely. He almost asked Jimmy why he hadn't said anything the day before, but Clark knew he would have probably done the same thing at Jimmy's age.

Jimmy shrugged. "It is what it is," he said matter-of-fact. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "And for the record, Clark, I never took advantage of Linda, okay? She felt bad for not getting me a birthday present, and I wanted to cheer her up; that's why I asked her to dance."

"Jimmy," Clark said, "if that was true, then you would've come up with a better excuse to take her picture." Jimmy looked confused, and Clark smiled slightly. "You brought your digital camera to the farm last night."

Jimmy felt his cheeks grow warm. "Oh," he said slowly, "I was hoping no one would have picked up on that." He sighed. "Okay, I may have had an…ulterior motive to taking her picture, but I swear I didn't go in there looking to kiss her…it just happened."

"And that's understandable," Clark replied.

"And what if I said I think it was a mistake?" Jimmy asked.

Clark raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked cautiously, trying to remain calm and not go into protective mode.

"I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the kiss," Jimmy said, his eyes drifting to the right as he smiled a little, remembering the feel of Linda's lips on his. He looked over and saw Clark just staring at him, eyebrow raised; Jimmy's smile disappeared as he cleared his throat. "Look, Clark, I just think it might have been too soon…know what I mean?"

"You don't want Linda to be a rebound," Clark said, understanding.

"Yeah, exactly," Jimmy replied, inwardly sighing that the reported didn't want to rip him limb from limb…so far. "I don't know if my feelings last night were real or if I was just reacting to Lucy breaking up with me…and I need to figure that out before I start dating again," he shrugged, "or if I even **want** to start dating again."

Clark pursed his lips, feeling conflicted by what Jimmy had said. On one hand, Jimmy had chosen not to sleep with a girl who had thrown herself at him—and he really wanted to make sure that his feelings for Linda were genuine—but on the other hand, Clark knew what this revelation was going to do to Linda, and the reporter was doing his best not to get angry.

"Jimmy," he said gently, "I know how hard it must have been to tell me all of this, and I appreciate it, but…."

"But?" Jimmy asked, recognizing the shift in Clark's tone.

"But you're going to have to tell Linda," Clark replied seriously. Jimmy's expression never faltered, but Clark saw a flash of fear wash over his eyes as he swallowed. "I know you don't want to—and, yes, she's going to be hurt—but you're need to do it. But even if you don't want to date her, she at least deserves you being honest with her…and the sooner you do it, the less it will hurt."

"How?" Jimmy asked, his tone a little more harsh than he intended. "Besides the fact that I'm grounded from leaving the city for a month unless I have my mother's permission, I don't know how I can even stomach the idea of driving three hours just to tell her something painful, then turning right back around and then spending three hours driving back. So, that means I'm going to have to call her to tell her everything, and she's going to think I don't even have the guts to face her." He just sighed and shook his head, looking out the window.

Clark could hear the frustration in Jimmy's voice, and he understood it perfectly. He racked his brain, trying to figure out how to solve the dilemma without going around Jimmy's mother's rules. After a minute, it suddenly came to him. "Jimmy, I think I have a solution."

(End of Chapter 14)


	15. Chapter 15

Clark walked down the stairs into the kitchen, where Jonathan and Martha waited near the island; they looked up when they saw their son.

"I got her all set up," Clark said as he approached the island, pulling his cellphone from his side pocket.

"I can't help but think this is a bad idea," Jonathan replied. "We all know how this is going to end."

"I know," Clark agreed as he opened his text program, "and I don't like it either, but we all know it has to come from Jimmy." He sent off a text message and waited for the confirmation that it was received before he sighed and put it away; he glanced up at the ceiling, hoping things wouldn't be quite as bad as he feared they would.

* * *

Linda sat at the desk, staring at the laptop screen, waiting. Clark had finished helping her set up a Skype account and then helping her log in before leaving her room. The young girl was about to wonder if something was wrong when a new window popped up. Linda smiled when she saw Jimmy in the window, sitting at what she assumed was his desk in his bedroom.

"Hi, Jimmy," she said.

"Hey, Linda," Jimmy replied, smiling. "How're you feeling?"

"A little tired, I guess, but I'm fine," Linda replied, furrowing her eyebrows slightly; she could have sworn she'd seen a hint of sadness in his eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jimmy replied. "Just tired, too." Linda looked unconvinced. "Linda, I'm fine, really." He gave her a small smile.

Linda felt her heart skip a beat, feeling her cheeks got warm; she quickly brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and pushed her glasses up her nose. "So, uh, Clark said you wanted to talk to me, and that I shouldn't keep you too long, since we're both grounded." Jimmy nodded and opened his mouth, but Linda continued talking. "You know, I still don't get the whole grounding thing. I mean, yeah, we snuck out and all, but we **did** help find Superman."

"And, considering what we did and what happened to you," Jimmy replied, "finding Superman is probably what kept us from getting **more** grounded."

"That's what Clark and my parents told me," Linda said, "right before they gave me a ton of extra chores to do around the farm…until school starts."

Jimmy gave her a sympathetic look, but then he remembered why he wanted to talk to you; he sighed, his expression changing. "Linda, I really can't stay on too much longer, so I think it's best if I just say it." He sighed, deciding to change his direction. "Do you remember our time in the loft last night?"

"Of course I do," Linda replied, smiling. "How could I forget something that wonderful?" She saw his serious expression, and her smile faded a little. "Jimmy, what's wrong?"

Jimmy took a deep breath and let it out slowly; he wasn't going to beat around the bush. "Linda, I need to apologize for last night."

Linda's smile completely disappeared as she appeared confused. "Apologize for what?"

"For leading you on," Jimmy replied.

Linda tilted her head. "I don't understand."

"Linda, up until yesterday, I was dating someone," Jimmy said. He paused and raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what dating is?"

"Of course," Linda replied. "It means, when two people—" She stopped then she looked at Jimmy, crestfallen. "Wait…you have a girlfriend?"

"Had," Jimmy quickly corrected her, hating himself as soon as he saw her hurt expression. "Had a girlfriend. Her name is Lucy, and we'd been dating for almost six months…and then yesterday she decided she didn't want to be with me anymore, so she broke up with me."

"On your birthday?" Linda asked. Jimmy nodded. "That's awful, I'm sorry." She looked at him cautiously. "So, do you…still like her?"

"Honestly, not really," Jimmy replied.

Linda suddenly looked confused once more. "So, if you broke up with her before you came out here, and you don't like her anymore…then I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is I got carried away," Jimmy answered. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Linda, when I first saw you last night, I thought that maybe you and I could…you know, start dating. That's why I wanted to take your picture and why I wanted to dance with you…and that's why I kissed you."

"And now you regret it?" Linda asked softly, feeling her eyes welling up with tears.

"Only because I did it right after Lucy broke up with me," Jimmy said, "and now I've hurt you."

"So, you don't like me?" Linda asked as she wiped the tears that fell from her cheeks.

"Of course I like you," Jimmy answered. "I just want to make sure it's real; I don't want you ending up being a rebound, that's all, and I can't do that until I work through with what Lucy did to me. Does that make sense?"

Linda bit her bottom lip, trying to keep from crying. She didn't know what a 'rebound' was, but she had a feeling it wasn't something she liked; she forced a little smile on her face. "I understand," she said softly. "So, I guess that means you don't want to see me anymore, huh?"

"I'd still like to be your friend," Jimmy said gently, "but if that's not something you want, then I'll understand."

"You still want to be my friend?" Linda asked, a little surprised.

"Hey, we committed grand theft auto together," Jimmy replied jokingly, smiling a little. "If that doesn't scream friendship, then I don't know what does." He was relieved to see Linda smile a little in response; he sighed. "So, can we still be friends?"

Linda nodded. "Can I ask you something—and will you be honest with me?"

"Sure," Jimmy replied.

"Do you think there might be a chance for us later on?" Linda asked.

"I hope so," Jimmy replied sincerely. He glanced down at his watch. "Well, uh…I need to go to work. Mr. White's got a lot of work for me to do."

"Okay," Linda said softly.

"You gonna be okay?" Jimmy asked, looking concerned.

Linda nodded and tried to smile, but it was hard. "Yeah," she said.

Jimmy opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something important, but then he sighed. "Well, I gotta go. Bye, Linda."

"Bye, Jimmy," Linda replied. She waited a few seconds before Jimmy signed off, leaving the young girl staring at a black window. Linda just sat there for what seemed like an eternity, then she felt her resolve disappearing; the young girl had no more strength to hold it back. She buried her head in her hands as she quietly dissolved into tears.

* * *

Clark and his parents were in the living room, drinking their tea in silent, when the reporter felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out and saw the digital message on the screen:

_It's done - J_

Clark sighed and put his phone away before looking at his mother. "Mom?" he asked. Martha nodded and wordlessly left the living room and heading up the front steps. The reporter sighed and glanced to his father, looking dejected. "I know I said earlier this was in Linda's best interest, but now I'm not so sure."

"I know, son," Jonathan said gently. He walked over and put his arm around Clark's shoulders; he understood how his son felt—the farmer felt the exact same way—and there was nothing he could say that would change their minds. "Why don't you and I go work on Linda's bed frame?"

Clark knew his father was trying to distract him temporarily, but the reporter didn't mind; he knew he wasn't responsible for Linda being hurt by Jimmy, but Clark still felt responsible for his cousin's well-being. He took in a deep breath and nodded before following his father out of the house.

THE END


End file.
